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Birds Eye has become Team GB’s ‘official plant-based supporter’ ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games.
The frozen food giant will re-brand its meat-free range Green Cuisine to feature the Union Jack.
Moreover, the brand will be plugged via TV adverts and social media activity with Team GB athletes.
Birds Eye X Team GB
Birds Eye hopes the partnership will propel plant-based food into the mainstream – as a number of high-profile athletes are turning their nose away from meat.
Sarah Koppens is the Marketing Director for Birds Eye UK. She said: “We have a relentless ambition to demonstrate the delicious power of plants, dispelling any lingering misconceptions around the meat-free category.
“We conducted a quick-fire Facebook poll with a group of 56 past and present Team GB athletes. Over two-thirds said they’ve actively reduced their meat consumption over the past three years.
“We look forward to bringing some of their stories to life throughout our campaign.”
Tim Ellerton is the British Olympic Association’s Commercial Director. He added: “This is an exciting partnership in a really interesting area, not just in our athlete community but on a wider national scale as meat-free and plant-based diets become increasingly popular.
“The team at Birds Eye has some very exciting activation plans in the coming months. We’re proud to support them in bringing those plans to life with the help of a variety of Team GB athletes.”
Olympics games
Earlier this year, nine Team USA athletes urged the Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to stop promoting dairy to the public and other Olympians.
Silver medalist Dotsie Bausch wrote an open letter to USOPC. It argues the committee has ‘failed to take seriously the health concerns’ she raised last year.
Moreover, the letter was printed as a full-page ad today in three daily newspapers where Olympic facilities are located.
‘Deleterious effects of cow’s milk’
“In October 2020, a total of nine Team USA athletes, including me, sent you a letter regarding unhealthy cow’s milk’s prominent role in the Team USA culture and advertisements,” the letter reads.
“That letter included National Institutes of Health lactose intolerance and malabsorption statistics.
“Those statistics highlight that up to 95 percent of Blacks, American Indians, Asians, and Hispanics/Latinx are disproportionately affected by lactose intolerance.
“This puts them at high risk for suffering from painful and debilitating symptoms.
“That letter also included numerous scientific research studies about the deleterious effects of cow’s milk.
“Instead of considering the statistics and science that we presented, you quickly dismissed it as ‘opinion’. With all due respect, science is a fact, not an opinion.”
