Knorr World Eat for Good Day: Press Release

Knorr and Mr. Potato Head rally to end mealtime monotony to save the planet  on World #Eatforgood Day

• Eating the same foods repeatedly is harming our planet^[i]
• Action to reimagine our favourite mealtime dishes^[ii] can help combat climate change
• Knorr and MR. POTATO HEAD are asking everyone around the world to bring excitement to their palates by swapping at least one ingredient for a tasty, nutritious food that’s better for the planet on World Eat for Good Day (19 February) 

Let's change the world

Knorr, Unilever’s largest food brand, has teamed up with Hasbro Inc.’s MR. POTATO HEAD, the world’s most famous vegetable icon, to inspire everyone to change the world by changing what’s on their plates. The unlikely duo will join leading chefs and food influencers worldwide, including Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge chef Dennis Prescott, in asking everyone to swap at least one ingredient in their routine meals for a Future 50 Food starting on World Eat for Good Day (19 February).  

Future 50 Foods developed by Knorr and WWF, are 50 foods that we should all eat more of because they are naturally nutritious, have a lower impact on our planet than animal-based foods, and can help safeguard the future of our food. 

To mark the occasion, MR. POTATO HEAD will make a change to his iconic outfit and dress up as a Cilembu sweet potato. His costume swap into this Future 50 Food shows people everywhere how easy it is to make a change on their plate that is good for their health and the planet. 

A spokesperson for Mr Potato Head says: “Playing with food is nothing new for Mr. POTATO HEAD. Today, he is dressing up as Cilembu Sweet Potato for World Eat For Good Day and encouraging everyone to make a change to what we eat to help protect our health and planet. He suggests everyone should take a peek at who else made it onto the Future50Foods list - and take their pick of the fun swap they can make.”

Breaking Mealtime Monotony

Mealtime monotony is a global issue: 75% of the global food supply comes from only 12 plant and five animal species. Just three (rice, maize, wheat) make up nearly 60% of calories from plants in the entire human diet despite there being 50,000 edible plants species.^{[iii, iv]} This not only bores our palates but excludes many valuable sources of nutrition while taking excessive amount of resource from the planet and harming the precious soil.

This is why on World Eat for Good Day, Knorr is using its flavor expertise to inspire people around the world to swap at least one ingredient to diversify their dish, which not only helps to beat mealtime boredom, but increases the nutritional value and lowers the environmental impact of the meal.

Try these tasty Future 50 Foods swaps to liven up your plate and your palate:

• Swap rice for quinoa to get three times more fibre, plus a source of magnesium and folate, while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50% and reducing water use by  up to 90%^[v] compared to white rice (when grown).

Recommended recipe: Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

• Swap beef for lentils^[vi] to get 10 times more fibre and no saturated fat, while emitting approximately 80% less greenhouse gases than ground beef.^[vii] If you prepare this meal once a month for one year (using lentils instead beef), you save approximately 25kg of greenhouse gases!^[viii]

Recommended recipe: Vegan Lentil Balls

• Swap potatoes for a scrumptious Cilembu sweet potato^[ix] to get three times more vitamin C and calcium than other potato varieties. Cilembu sweet potatoes have a sweet, honey-like flavour and are native to Indonesia. Eating more varieties of similar foods helps make the food system more resilient while providing more nutrients.

Recommended recipe: Sweet Potato Mash

Join the movement

‘Most of us believe our energy or transport choices cause the most serious environmental damage. In fact, it’s our food system that creates the biggest impact,’ as quoted in Knorr and WWF’s Future 50 Foods report.  Knorr is committed to bringing food that is good for people and the planet to seven billion plates via Future 50 Foods with the 19th February as a milestone toward this ambition.

Chef Dennis Prescott says, “Get ready for boredom busters! I love using vibrant ingredients in my dishes, and I am passionate about using foods that are not only delicious but also more nutritious and better for the planet.”

Dorothy Shaver, Registered Dietitian and Global Marketing Sustainability Lead, Knorr, says: “It’s time to banish mealtime monotony for the betterment of ourselves and the planet. World Eat for Good Day is the perfect opportunity to start. From ‘magic beans’ to deliciously different veggies, by swapping ingredients in our favourite recipes, we can eat our way to a better food future. Together with partners such as MR. POTATO HEAD, Dennis Prescott, the Chefs’ Manifesto network, reNature and WWF, we are building a community to inspire and enable billions to eat for good.”

Knorr is passionate about flavour and uses its expertise to unlock the fabulous flavours needed to make naturally nutritious foods taste great through its products, recipes and tips. 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.

References

^[i] Knorr  Future 50 Foods report

^[ii] Based on swaps to lentils and quinoa, as below.

^[iii] FAO -  https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/once-neglected-these-traditional-crops-are-our-new-rising-stars

^[iv] Knorr Future 50 Foods report

^[v] Quinoa swap references: Environmental references: Clune et al 2017. Systematic review of greenhouse gas emissions for different fresh food categories. Nutritional facts: USDA 2019

^[vi] Lentil swap references: Related to carbon footprint: Klimatarier.com/de/CO2

^[vii] Sweet potato swap references: Knorr Future 50 Foods report

^[viii] The Lancet and Future 50 Foods report

^[ix] Klimatarier.com/de/CO2