FDBusiness.com

Citrus brand Jaffa has launched a countrywide initiative in Britain to reintroduce half-time oranges to the national game. The campaign to ‘bring back the half-time Jaffa’ is launching in Cambridgeshire before rolling out nationwide during the 2013/14 season. The goal is to get every kids’ football team in the UK eating the fruit by May 2015.

Jaffa will be donating tens of thousands of oranges and fruit vouchers to children’s football teams around the country.

“Oranges at half time are one of the greatest traditions of the British game. But over the years they have been vanishing from our touchlines and being replaced by less healthy alternatives such as chocolate, crisps and sweets,” says Shahar Katsir, general manager at Mehadrin which owns the Jaffa brand.

The campaign to ‘bring back the half-time Jaffa’ is part of the brand’s on-going promotional initiative to reach consumers. “The project expresses what the Jaffa brand is all about – healthy eating, keeping fit, families and fun, with fruit at its heart,” adds Sharhar Katsir.

A recent survey on half-time eating habits conducted by Jaffa fruit found almost half (45%) of kids said they eat crisps, chocolate, sweets or biscuits at half time. 43% drink fizzy or high-sugar drinks during the break. While only half of children thought it was important to eat fruit at half time, 97% said they would eat a healthy snack if it was provided for them.