Dragon's teeth and Orange Rockets

Only 5% of Belgian people eat enough fruit and vegetables. The recommended daily allowance is 550 grammes per day. Children and teenagers are the worst offenders. In the 6 - 17 years age group, almost no-one eats enough fruit and vegetables per day. The average daily vegetable consumption of kids aged 6 to 13 is, for example, only 100g. The recommended amounts for the age group are between 250 and 300g. This is alarming. Parents must sometimes pull out all the stops to get their children to eat enough vegetables. It is a daily struggle against 'horrible vegetables'. This is why food retailer, Delhaize, came up with the idea of 'magic little vegetables'.

Delhaize wanted to use a bit of magic and some imagination to help parents get their kids excited about vegetables. This campaign compliments Delhaize's new strategy perfectly. It is called 'Mee met 't leven' ('Participate in life'). Delhaize wants to show that they are close to their customers. They want to provide an answer to the daily struggles their customers face. They want to give them simple solutions to make life easier.

Health has been important to Delhaize for more than ten years now. The many promotions encouraging a healthy lifestyle is proof of this. For example, the sugar evaders ensure that there is less sugar in many of the Delhaize products. There is also the GoodCook workshops in schools. These bring children into contact with healthy food and seasonal products. All in a playful way. Then there is the VitaMinis promotion. Delhaize has held this for two years in a row. It is very popular with the kids. Here children learn about fruit and vegetables in a fun way. Delhaize wants to continue stimulating children to choose a balanced diet. Because what you learn as a kid, you do as an adult.

Delhaize "conjures" with vegetables
"I do not like it." This is something parents hear all the time. It is also not always easy to get small children to try new vegetables. A bit of fantasy and imagination can help. Kinds have this in abundance. This is why Delhaize decided to change the names of some vegetables into something 'magical'. Vegetables also perform 'magic ' - they contribute to a balanced diet. They also add taste to many dishes. From 9 April, Delhaize no longer offers their customers carrots, bell peppers or chicory. In future, these will be known as 'orange rockets', 'treasure chests', and 'dragon teeth'. These are just some examples of twelves vegetable varieties' magical makeovers. These vegetables will be magically transformed for the next ten weeks or so. The new magical names are:

• Bell peppers: treasure chests
• Iceberg lettuce: fairy blankets

• Tomatoes: clown noses
• Princess beans: frog ski's
• Chicory: dragon teeth
• Carrots: orange rockets
• Baby potatoes: mini meteorites
• Aubergines: Indian canoes
• Courgettes: troll clubs
• Oyster mushrooms: gnome trumpets
• Cucumbers: elf frisbees

• Celery: elf slides

Magical vegetables by, and for, kids
Delhaize visited a few schools to get help coming up with the names. Children let their imaginations run wild. They got inspiration from fairy tales, stories of magic as well as tales about trolls and druids. Delhaize hopes to encourage children to quickly and easily discover less-loved tastes. They want to do this by presenting vegetables in a likeable, creative way. Delhaize also deliberately chose commonly used vegetables. Delhaize did not only change the names of these twelve vegetables. They also revamped their packaging. In this way, parents can already get the kids involved in the cooking and eating process while shopping. To draw even more attention to this promotion, Delhaize also has exciting discounts. If people buy one of these twelve magical vegetable varieties, they get the second pack at 1/2 price. This promotion runs from 12 to 25 April 2018.

What about the other vegetables?
Delhaize has already named these twelve magical vegetables. They are appealing to their customers and their kids' imaginations to conjure up names for other vegetables. The person who thinks of the best magical name for a new magical vegetable stands the chance of winning a year's* worth of free fruit and vegetables. Ideas can be sent in online via meemetmijnleven.be or on Delhaize's Facebook page. Parents and children can also take part in the shops. Suggestions can be placed in the collection boxes on the red table in the fruit and vegetable sections.