Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

MEMBERS ONLY - YAZOO ONE OF FEW DRINKS PERMITTED TO BE SOLD IN SCHOOLS

News about unhealthy school dinners, adolescent obesity and parents struggling with their children’s diets, ranks high on the agenda of national newspapers such as The Daily Mirror, The Times and The Sun. News Stories about schools banning junk food from lunchboxes or the use of fingerprint scanning to monitor pupils’ diets, demonstrate how schools and parents alike are increasingly becoming worried about kids’ diets.

To battle these issues the government has banned fizzy and sweetened drinks of no nutritional value in schools from next year; allowing only bottled water, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, pure juices and yogurt or milk drinks with less than 5% added sugar to be sold at schools. As a result there has been a scramble to produce “school friendly” products by some of the big manufacturers.

One of the key beneficiaries is the established children favourite: YAZOO. The UK’s No 1* flavoured milk has been a long-time lunchbox favourite with children and parents, and schools recognise the benefits of offering children are receiving a daily portion of milk. Low in fat, and packed with vitamin B and calcium, YAZOO contains no artificial sweeteners or preservatives; but the key factor is that it meets that crucial taste test for children – one of the reasons it has the highest* frequency of purchase for UK milkshakes.

Chris Collis, Director of Marketing at Campina UK, comments, “We are very proud that YAZOO belongs to the exclusive club of drinks meeting the new government guidelines, and to do this without resorting to the use of artificial sweeteners. We are committed to keeping our brand up to date, meeting latest health standards and providing children with a great tasting milk drink which is still reasonably priced. Recently, we launched the new YAZOO 200ml single serve bottle with an rrp of 44p, which will fit perfectly within the schools vending environment. ”

Will children buy (into) it?

As national newspapers such as The Daily Telegraph report that children refuse to eat the healthy food now offered at schools, the pupils’ acceptance of the new healthier drinks and snacks offering is a big concern. Will children literally “buy (into) it”? Jamie Oliver’s campaign seems to have met the zeitgeist of the adult world – but was it also suitable for children? A schoolboy at the health-conscious Sponne School in Towcaster Northamptonshire, one of the 1st schools in Britain to switch its dietary policies following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's anti–obesity TV campaign, set up a playground sweet shop because he was fed up with 'overpriced health food' and is now facing expulsion.

Chris Collis comments:

“YAZOO’s continued success shows that it is possible to offer a healthier alternative that children actually want to drink. YAZOO meets both the parents’ and authorities’ demand for a low-fat drink with less than 5% added sugar and the kids’ demand for great taste. As in every market, the key to success is to offer a balance between meeting both the customer and the end-consumers needs. “.

With an annual consumption rate of 80 million bottles, the UK’s No.1* YAZOO definitely gets it right. AC Nielsen shows that YAZOO has grown by 12% this year.** “

Collis continues, “YAZOO commits itself to promoting an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle to children. A good example is our latest advertising campaign which adds a twist to YAZOO’s well-known strapline “Milk your imagination” and calls on children to save their imaginations. We can't fail to notice that too many children nowadays have stopped using their imaginations completely: spending their time instead glued to television celebrity reality shows, playing with game-consoles, swapping inane text messages and staring listlessly into inter-web space. Well, we aren't going to stand for it anymore, and YAZOO has started a campaign to save the nation’s imaginations.”

With the support of the new advertising campaign, its great taste and the new YAZOO vending machines especially designed for use at schools, YAZOO is set to become a best-seller within the ‘members only’ club of healthier drinks being sold at schools.

YAZOO comes in 500ml, 1l, 200ml multi-pack and 200ml single serve bottles and four flavours – Strawberry, Chocolate, Banana and Vanilla Ice Cream. It is available in all major supermarkets and independent grocery stores as well as all key wholesale/cash and carry. Prices may vary by retailer.

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Visit www.yazoo.co.uk for further information. Stockist information: 020 7482 8578

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Sources:-
* No 1 by Volume and frequency of purchase: TNS Global 2006, 52 wks to 25th March 2006;
* No 1 by Value and frequency: AC Nielsen 24 weeks to 25th March 2006
** AC Nielsen 2006

For further info regarding YAZOO or Campina please contact Gemma Oakes or Kerstin Gulden at Mercieca PR on 020 7485 0100 or e-mail: gemma@mercieca.co.uk / kersting@mercieca.co.uk