Birds Eye kickstarts Veganuary with ‘Do-what-you-can-uary’ campaign

Birds Eye Green Cuisine is launching a new campaign for Veganuary 2022, in an effort to encourage shoppers to “do what they can” when it comes to increasing their consumption of plant-based products. Making a pun on the popular month of meat-free eating, “Do-what-you-canuary” will seek to empower shoppers to do their bit in reducing the amount of meat they eat, without feeling the pressure of going 100 per cent meat-free for the whole month.

Veganuary plays an important role in attracting new shoppers into the meat-free category, having seen a +20 per cent increase in penetration last January, totalling £23m. It’s a crucial month for retailers’ meat-free sales, and last year it accounted for 9 per cent of total annual meat-free sales. It also provided a 22 per cent boost to category sales compared to other months, making it an important period for brands to activate in. The launch of a new multi-channel campaign from Birds Eye follows upon the impressive performance of its Green Cuisine brand, which has experienced three consecutive years of double-digit growth and is now worth £19.2m.

“We’re on a mission to show how plants can be at the heart of every meal, and encourage people to increase their consumption of plant-based food for both the benefit of themselves as well as the planet,” said Victoria Westwood, Senior Brand Manager.

“‘Do-what-you-canuary’ targets flexitarian shoppers who want to reduce their meat consumption, but on their own terms and without the associations that come with being labelled as a vegan or meat-eater. We want to reassure shoppers to do what they can when it comes to enjoying meat-free food, and to do so free from the labels, pressures and pretention of plant-based eating.”

Birds Eye Green Cuisine’s recent launches of various chicken-free products and fish-free fingers have driven category growth , with 51 per cent of Green Cuisine sales coming from these recent NPD launches, as shoppers enter the category through purchasing plant-based products that are reflective of their favourite meat-based dinner time foods.

Birds Eye Green Cuisine’s multi-channel “Do-what-you-canuary” campaign is set to roll out on 3 January 2022, across TV, VOD and OOH.