Peas Please project reaches major milestone

We're proud to announce that 1.1 billion additional portions of vegetables have been served or sold as part of our Peas Please project!

The milestone was revealed during our Veg Summit for England, which was attended by almost 100 key players from across the food system.

Businesses, policy-makers, NGOs and our Veg Advocates joined us at City Hall in London to celebrate those taking action to ensure healthier food is more accessible, explore some of the key learnings from our work, and look ahead at what the future holds for vegetables during a cost of living and climate crisis.

Peas Please explainer

Dan Parker, Chief Executive of Veg Power, hosted the event and eco chef Tom Hunt presented Peas Please Prizes to this year's winners, which included Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Blackpool Catering and Nicky Martin, of the Compass Group.

Awards were also given to Hampshire County Council Catering Services and Greggs.

We were honoured Sir Charles Godfray, Director of the Oxford Martin School and the Oxford Programme on the Future of Food, Claire King from the Beans is How Coalition, Professor Christina Vogel, Deputy Director, Centre for Food Policy, City University, and Stephanie Douglas, Head of Campaign Development, Veg Power could join us.

Peas Please was launched in 2017 with a clear mission to make it easier for everyone in the UK to eat more veg.

Since then, 110 organisations, from restaurant chains, caterers and manufacturers to growers and retailers, have committed to veg pledges that support the public to be able to access more veg.

Pledges have included everything from boosting the amount of veg contained in ready meals to serving more veg options on children’s menus.

The 1.1 billion portions of vegetables were delivered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Speaking about the milestone, Anna Taylor, Executive Director at The Food Foundation said: "In the past many healthy eating campaigns have failed because they have tried to increase consumption by focusing solely on education.

"However, we know that for real change to happen at scale we need meaningful action that makes vegetables and veg rich foods more available, appealing and affordable. This needs both businesses and policymakers to play a part.

"With a real lack of action from policymakers on health and the environment, we are glad to see businesses and organisations acting for change.

"Through Peas Please, industry players have taken steps towards a healthier, fairer and more sustainable food system.

"There is still a lot more to do but the Peas Please Prize Winners demonstrate what can be achieved with clear targets and concrete action."