Peaches and nectarines – A sweet treat for kids this summer

The superhero battling childhood obesity in Austria, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the UK is seeing in the summer with peaches and nectarines, a trusty weapon for staving off the heat and keeping in shape.

Over 350,000 visitors to the fruitness.eu website, more than 3,100 stores involved in the five target countries and 150 participating schools: these are some of the statistics which sum up the second year of “Fruitness enjoy it!”*, the project targeting children and teenagers in Austria, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage the consumption of fruit among the younger sections of the population, as well as to contain the spread of childhood obesity. The three-year initiative, which is promoted by CSO, the European Union and AGEA, is being fronted by the superhero in the green leotard, backed by his Fruit Team. Now that summer is here, the gang are not about to go on their holidays…in fact they are preparing to step up the fight against junk food by calling on a trusty weapon, peaches and nectarines, of which Italy is Europe’s largest producer.

Peaches have velvety skin while nectarines have smooth skin, and both have yellow or white flesh. A number of different varieties are grown, with a calendar covering the entire summer season up to the end of September.

These fruits are particularly popular among children owing to their sweet taste and juiciness. Not only are they ideal for staving off the heat and replenishing liquids lost through perspiration, they are also rich in vitamin C (a medium-sized peach contains 10% of the recommended daily intake) and potassium (260 mg per 100 g of product)**.

Peaches and nectarines, the closest allies of Mr Fruitness, will therefore be in the front line when the first activities of the 2008/2009 season of “Fruitness enjoy it!” get under way. Over the summer months, leading large-scale retailers in the five target countries will set the stage for a series of in-store promotions starring these juicy fruits. A number of promoters will be distributing information leaflets highlighting their nutritional properties, along with illustrated materials, recipe books, freebies and CD-ROMs containing the Mr Fruitness videogame.

For more information visit Fruitness.eu.

** Source: Italian National Institute of Nutrition, Rome, 2006
* “Fruitness enjoy it” is a three-year campaign for the promotion of healthier eating habits, which aims to educate children and raise awareness about fruit and the role it plays in preventing child obesity. Directed at children in the United Kingdom, Poland, Austria, Sweden and Germany, the campaign is financed by the European Commission, Agea (the Agricultural Payment Agency) and CSO, for a combined value of 4 million euros. It will consist of a targeted and integrated programme of activities dedicated to promoting the consumption of EU fruits, by providing information about their intrinsic characteristics in terms of nutritional quality, safety and health benefits.