Australian fresh produce company Perfection Fresh has partnered with Sesame Street to encourage consumers to incorporate fresh produce into their meals as the back-to-school season approaches.

With only 8.5 per cent of children meeting the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables and 55 per cent needing help identifying common vegetables, Perfection Fresh aims to promote healthy habits from an early age.

The curated product range for this campaign features the fun and playful Sesame Street characters on the packaging, including Qukes baby cucumbers with Cookie Monster, sweet Petite tomatoes with Elmo, Perfection berries with Abby, and Little Gem bananas with Big Bird.

Luke Gibson, chief marketing and innovation officer at Perfection Fresh, emphasised the impact of character branding on children’s food preferences.

“Kids are more emotionally connected to food with familiar characters,” Gibson explained. 

“Research has shown that kids are more likely to eat fresh fruit and vegetables when they see familiar friends on the packaging encouraging healthy habits.”

In bringing the campaign to fruition, Perfection Fresh also teamed up with A Better Choice!, a joint initiative run by Fresh Markets Australia and the Central Markets Association of Australia to bring the campaign to fruition.

The not-for-profit program encourages consumers to shop for fresh produce and supports more than 800 independent fruit and vegetable retailers nationwide. 

“This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to encourage healthier choices within communities and local fruit and veg shops,” said James Patrick, head of marketing and engagement, A Better Choice!

 “We are proud to be part of this initiative that innovatively promotes fresh produce consumption.”

The campaign will run for five weeks, with 500 off-location displays, geo-targeted digital videos, print advertising, social media campaigns, and trade engagement.