2023 was year two of the EU-funded, social media-based ‘Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables’ campaign.
Begun in March 2022 and running up to February 2025, the programme targets Irish millennials, aiming to increase their knowledge of the nutritional benefits, versatility, sustainability and practicality of fresh, local and in-season fruit and vegetables.
Education on the origins of the produce that millennials buy and eat, and how it arrives in their local retail outlets, is part of the Life is Better campaign. A video series called Out of the Ground profiles some of Ireland’s key fruit and vegetable crops. The videos showcase growers alongside their growing, harvesting and packing systems.
These videos aim to encourage millennials to source their fruit and vegetables as fresh, local and in season. Six grower videos were filmed featuring different crops in 2022, and another six in 2023. The latter featured Bramley cooking apples, turnips, leeks, broccoli, carrots and parsnips.
Also as part of Life is Better 2023, two of the campaign ambassadors/influencers conjured up a delicious recipe each, prepared with locally grown, in-season fruit and vegetables. Cork foodie Rachel Hornibrook created an easy and delicious spiced root vegetable soup, and Limerick-based TV chef, Eoin Sheehan, created a broccoli and cauliflower cheese bake.
Altogether in 2023, Bord Bia added 16 new inspirational recipes to the campaign website and online cookbook, which now boasts 32 tasty recipes.
For campaign videos and recipes, visit Life is Better at fruitnveg.ie. ]
