News - 30-06-2025
Veggies First launches first campaign
Across the globe, most people consistently eat too few vegetables. That’s why Veggies First has been launched: an international movement dedicated to increasing vegetable consumption.
Mission: Boosting vegetable consumption among young adults
The initiative primarily targets Generation Z and young millennials (ages 24–32), a group that research shows wants to eat healthily, but struggles with convenience, price, and availability.
“Our ambition is for vegetables to take center stage in everyday life, not as a side dish, but as the natural starting point of every meal,” says Annelies Blaauwkamer, brand manager Veggies First. “That transformation begins with creating environments where healthy choices are easier, at home, in supermarkets, canteens, and restaurants.”
From side dish to center stage
Veggies First aims to put vegetables first, both literally and figuratively, by giving them more visibility on shelves, more appeal in meals, and more emotional value as both a healthy and tasty choice.
Healthy habits start with the environment
According to Professor Dr. Renger Witkamp, Chair in Nutritional Biology at Wageningen University & Research, meaningful behavior change only happens when the environment supports it.
“Roughly 80% of supermarket offerings are unhealthy. If we want people to make better food choices, we need to start where food decisions happen—canteens, restaurants, and supermarkets. The healthy option should also be the easy one.”
Veggies First is therefore focused on partnering with retailers, caterers, schools, and food developers to launch pilot projects that make vegetable-based products more available, visible, and appealing.
A movement with ambition
Veggies First is committed to long-term behaviour change and fostering a healthier food culture. The movement invites others to join the effort.
“Whether you're a supermarket manager, a canteen coordinator, or a product developer—everyone can help shape an environment where vegetables are a natural and attractive choice,” Blaauwkamer concludes.
Watch our first campaign video:
Veggies First is a brand initiated by Rijk Zwaan, with a mission to make vegetables structurally more attractive, accessible, and visible in everyday life. It is a repositioning of the former brand Love My Salad. Read more: www.veggiesfirst.com
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