Knorr, Unilever’s largest food brand, has teamed up with Mr Potato Head, the world’s most famous vegetable icon, to call on people to change the world by changing what’s on their plates.
The unlikely duo joins Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge chef Dennis Prescott and the 900+ chefs in the Chefs’ Manifesto network in inspiring everyone to swap at least one ingredient in their favourite meals each week for a Future 50 Food (a list of 50 foods that are healthier for people and the planet, developed by Knorr and WWF) on World Eat for Good Day (19 February). This marks a milestone moment in Knorr’s ambition to help get foods that are good for people and the planet on billions of plates by 2025.
Combat climate change
While most people are aware that climate change is a global emergency, most aren’t aware that the foods they eat play a vital role in helping to combat climate change. Food is the single strongest lever we have to optimise human health and environmental sustainability on Earth, but 70% of people surveyed across 50 countries ranked plant-based diets last as a solution for addressing climate change. Given that the food system is responsible for approximately 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions, with 60% coming from animals, if everyone takes action to consume foods that are better for people and the planet (Future 50 Foods) grown in sustainable, restorative, regenerative ways, we can lower the impact of the food system on climate change and future proof our favourite foods for generations to come.
World Eat for Good Day
This is why on World Eat for Good Day, Knorr, together with chefs, influencers and partners, is calling on everyone to swap at least one ingredient in their favourite meals for a Future 50 Food.
Felipe Villela, founder of reNature, who supports farmers and businesses in the transition to regenerative agriculture, says: “If we continue to degrade the soil at the rate we are now, the world could run out of topsoil in around 60 years. If we don’t make these simple swaps on our plate, infertile soil could mean that your favourite foods won’t be around in the future. We must act now by changing what’s on our plates.”
Beyond World Eat for Good Day and their big ambition, Knorr is committed to helping lower the carbon footprint of its products: 25% of Knorr’s product portfolio will contain the Future 50 Foods, 50% of its portfolio will be plant-based and 100% of Knorr’s vegetables, herbs, cereals and top five spices will be sustainably sourced by 2025. Currently 95% of Knorr vegetables and herbs are sustainably sourced, globally.
Liam Walsh, sustainable diets manager at WWF-UK, says: “Many people aren’t aware that the global food system has a devastating impact on the environment. In fact, it’s one of the biggest drivers of climate change and nature loss on the planet . But we can all fight for our world through our everyday food choices by eating a wider variety of plant-rich meals and cutting down on meat.”
April Redmond, global brand vice president, Knorr, says: “We want people to realise that what they eat has the power to change the world for the better. World Eat for Good Day is a significant next step in our mission to reinvent food for humanity. Our ambition is to make eating a wider variety of foods that are better for us and the planet taste great and easy to cook up. We want to get food that is good for people and the planet on billions of plates by 2025.(PLACEHOLDER) Together with partners such as MR. POTATO HEAD, WWF-UK, the Chefs’ Manifesto Network, GROIntelligence, reNature and influencers, we are proud to be building a community around this ambition for the health of people and the planet.”
Knorr’s commitments and World Eat for Good Day are part of Unilever’s Future Foods commitments, which will help people transition towards healthier diets and contribute to a new annual global sales target of €1 billion from plant-based meat and dairy alternatives by 2025-2027.
To join the movement to Eat for Good, visit knorreatforgood.com. Here you’ll find a wealth of tips and delicious recipes to inspire you #eatforgood on World Eat for Good Day and beyond.
