In early March, over 10,000 primary school pupils took part in the national Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign. The award-winning Veg Power campaign involved 36 schools from Southend-on-Sea to Huddersfield. This exciting initiative helped Angel Hill Food Co. promote healthier eating habits among children. It also encouraged pupils to increase their vegetable intake in a fun and engaging way.
Why Vegetables Matter for Growing Children
Children require more vegetables than adults as part of a healthy diet, providing essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre for growth and development. Vegetables play a key role in strengthening immune function and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases later in life. Despite their importance, 80% of primary school-aged children in the UK do not eat enough vegetables, making initiatives like Eat Them To Defeat Them vital.
As a leading provider of catering services within education, Angel Hill Food Co. is committed to addressing this challenge by creating opportunities for children to embrace vegetables in their daily meals.
Partnering with Veg Power for Positive Change
To support the Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign, Angel Hill Food Co. partnered with Veg Power, a not-for-profit organisation focused on improving children’s dietary habits. This year marks the seventh edition of the Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign, which continues to engage children nationwide.
Through this partnership, we distributed campaign packs to our participating schools, containing posters, stickers, activity sheets, and take-home materials. We also hosted online sessions with school teams to encourage widespread participation. Our on-site teams played a pivotal role in bringing the campaign to life through vegetable tasting workshops, creative displays, and fun events, such as dressing up as vegetables to engage students.
The focus week began on March 10th, and many schools continued the activities beyond the official campaign week. We were also thrilled to welcome Veg Power representatives to one of our schools in Shrewsbury, where they hosted a special assembly and captured footage for their national promotion. Sweetcorn was the pupils’ most popular vegetable, followed by carrots.
Celebrating Innovation and Impact
As part of the campaign, several of our school sites entered the Veg Power Caterers Challenge, which rewards the most innovative and engaging campaign activities with prizes up to £500. After our success last year, when Redhill Primary achieved a Silver Award, we are hopeful for more recognition this year.
The staff, my area manager Jo, and I thoroughly enjoyed promoting vegetable consumption. The sticker rewards were a great incentive, and the children responded brilliantly.
St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School
The children were fantastic. They truly embraced the challenge, and we’re eager to sustain this momentum.
Karen Hodson
Operations Manager
It has been amazing at Barnburgh School. Many children tried vegetables for the first time, and we are excited to introduce more initiatives like this.
Kate Venables
Chef Manager
Continuing the Momentum for a Healthier Future
As the Eat Them To Defeat Them campaign wraps up, Angel Hill Food Co. remains focused on continuing to encourage children to incorporate more vegetables into their daily meals. We are committed to supporting children’s long-term health through initiatives like Junior Chef’s Club and Lunchathon, which foster healthy eating habits and offer valuable learning experiences.
By working together with Veg Power, we aim to make vegetables a regular and enjoyable part of every child’s diet, shaping a healthier future for the next generation.
Get in touch with our team today to discover how Angel Hill Food Co. can support your education catering needs.
