Birds Eye Green Cuisine is launching a new campaign this Veganuary, in an effort to encourage shoppers to ‘do what they can’ when it comes to increasing their consumption of plant-based products. Making a pun on the popular month of meat-free eating, ‘Do-what-you-canuary’ will seek to empower shoppers to do their bit in reducing the amount of meat they eat, without feeling the pressure of going 100% meat-free for the whole month.

Veganuary plays an important role in attracting new shoppers into the meat-free category, having seen a +20% increase in penetration last January, totalling £23m[1]. It’s a crucial month for retailers’ meat-free sales, and last year it accounted for 9% of total annual meat-free sales. It also provided a 22% boost to category sales compared to other months[2], making it an important period for brands to activate in. The launch of a new multi-channel campaign from Birds Eye follows upon the impressive performance of its Green Cuisine brand, which has experienced three consecutive years of double-digit growth and is now worth £19.2m[3].

Victoria Westwood, Senior Brand Manager at Birds Eye said: “We’re on a mission to show how plants can be at the heart of every meal, and encourage people to increase their consumption of plant-based food for both the benefit of themselves as well as the planet. Yet, while Veganuary is crucial in attracting new shoppers to the category, we recognise that many are caught between wanting to make a difference but without having to commit to completely shifting away from meat-based products.

“‘Do-what-you-canuary’ targets flexitarian shoppers who want to reduce their meat consumption, but on their own terms and without the associations that come with being labelled as a vegan or meat-eater. We want to reassure shoppers to do what they can when it comes to enjoying meat-free food, and to do so free from the labels, pressures and pretention of plant-based eating. With the number of options available as part of our Green Cuisine range, we’re perfectly positioned to make it even easier for shoppers to add more plant-based foods to their diet, throughout January and the rest of 2022.”

Birds Eye Green Cuisine’s appeal with shoppers can be partially attributed to its extensive range of meat-free versions of some of the nation’s most-loved teatime foods. Recent launches of various Chicken-free products and Fish-free Fingers have driven category growth further, with 51% of Green Cuisine sales coming from these recent NPD launches[4], as shoppers enter the category through purchasing plant-based products that are reflective of their favourite meat-based dinner time foods.

Birds Eye Green Cuisine’s multi-channel ‘Do-what-you-canuary’ campaign is set to roll out on 3 January 2022, across TV, VOD and OOH in conjunction with in-store activations at major supermarkets.

[1] Nielsen Scantrack, Frozen Meat Free, data 4wks to 30 Jan 2021

[2] Nielsen Scantrack, Frozen Meat Free, data 4wks to 30 Jan 2021

[3] Nielsen date 6th Nov 2021

[4] Nielsen Scantrack, MAT 52 weeks from 19.07.21 to 17.07.21