Love Your Veggies™ Launches Web Site Learning Center and Interactive Game so Parents Can Help Their Children Grow an Appreciation and Appetite for Veggies
OAKLAND, Calif. (March 9, 2009) - Nearly half of kids still say they don't eat vegetables every day, but their days of hiding peas could be numbered: parents are digging in to find the root cause and declaring some victories, according to a new survey of parents and their children released today.
The survey, from the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings, looked at vegetable consumption among children and asked parents to report from the front lines of the veggie battle. Of the children surveyed, 45 percent confessed to skipping veggies - a number that didn't surprise parents. To get kids to reach for a carrot, words alone are not enough, the parents told researchers. In fact, parents who take an active role in teaching their children about vegetables and engaging their kids from the ground up - showing them where and how vegetables grow, what nutrients they contain, and including kids in preparing vegetables in home-cooked meals - report more success at influencing their children's eating habits.
"Engaging children in the garden - even a virtual garden - is a great way to plant seeds of knowledge and appreciation, especially because when kids are invested in the entire process, they're more likely to eat - and request - vegetables they grew themselves," said Kristin Wonzen, marketing manager for Hidden Valley® products.
Among the survey findings:
Nearly 75 percent of parents surveyed said they dip vegetables in dressing, dips or sauces to get their kids to eat more. And it appears to be a good strategy, with children saying that two favorite ways to eat their veggies are "in a salad with dressing" (67 percent) and "raw with dip or dressing" (63 percent).
Having kids help in the kitchen -- 77 percent of parents surveyed say their children help with preparing dishes involving veggies - seemingly leading to kids eating more veggies. Parents whose children have helped them cook vegetables may worry less about their kids' vegetable consumption than parents whose children have not helped them cook vegetables.
Parents surveyed say they focus on the details, such as where (85 percent), how (81 percent) and when (65 percent) vegetables grow in an effort to plant seeds of appreciation in their kids.
Love Your Veggie ™ Offers Parents Helpful Tools
Veggie Adventures is a new interactive online game created to engage families in a vegetable adventure. Part of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings' Love Your Veggies™ Campaign, the game provides players with great tips and vegetable facts in a new and exciting format. Veggie Adventures offers the full "garden to plate" experience with the progression of three different games - At the Farm, On the Road and In the Kitchen.
LoveYourVeggies.com is a comprehensive resource hosts a wealth of tools for parents and educators looking for fun and interesting ways to help cultivate a deep appreciation and knowledge of vegetables, and includes educational activities, kid-friendly recipes and tips for getting kids more involved in the garden and kitchen.
Parents can access the Veggie Adventures game and play with their children today at LoveYourVeggies.com/games.
In addition to the launch of the game, the Love Your Veggies™ Campaign and celebrity chef Art Smith will be hosting a mom retreat this April for 10 winners of a national "Search for Veggie Champions" Contest. Following the retreat, the full curriculum regarding how to garden, grocery shop, prepare and enjoy vegetables with children will be posted to the LoveYourVeggies.com Web site.
About the Survey
The Hidden Valley® phone survey was conducted by Kelton Research in September 2008. The sample consisted of 500 parents of children ages 7-12 and 501 children ages 7-12. The overall sampling error is +/- 4.40 percent with 95 percent confidence.
About Love Your Veggies™
The makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings were inspired to create the Love Your Veggies™ grant program after findings from a 2006 study of two Northern California elementary schools conducted by the University of California Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Butte County Cooperative Extension found that children consumed 23 percent more vegetables when paired with a moderate amount of ranch dressing. At the same time the results of this study were released, many schools nationwide were working to comply with the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act which required school districts to adopt local school wellness policies to improve students' overall health and nutrition, and were facing an overwhelming shortage of funds available to execute these programs. To respond to this need, the Love Your Veggies™ grant program was created and has since awarded more than a half a million dollars to elementary schools across the country, helping to affect change in the diets of thousands of children.
About Hidden Valley®
The HV Food Products Company is a subsidiary of The Clorox Company, headquartered in Oakland, Calif. Clorox is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with fiscal year 2008 revenues of $5.3 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works™ natural cleaners, Armor All® and STP® auto-care products, Fresh Step® and Scoop Away® cat litter, Kingsford® charcoal, Hidden Valley® and K C Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration systems, Glad® bags, wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. With 8,300 employees worldwide, the company manufactures products in more than two dozen countries and markets them in more than 100 countries. Clorox is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where its employees work and live. Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has awarded cash grants totaling more than $73.9 million to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges. In fiscal 2008 alone, the foundation awarded $4.2 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at $10.2 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com
Media contacts
Bridget Starkey
Current
415-449-0133
bstarkey@currentlm.com