Save the Food! That’s another way of saying don’t waste it. And that sound advice is the slogan behind the new Ad Council/NRDC anti-food waste campaign launching today.
This public service campaign has been in the works for a long time, but at first glance, it was worth the wait. The PSAs, produced gratis by whizs at SapientNitro, trace the journey of strawberries from farm to fork. The 30-second spot, the one you’ll likely see, isn’t quite as powerful as the one or two-minute sagas in conveying the length of that journey, but they’re all impressive. Especially neat is how much the ads can communicate with little to no dialogue. Here’s the full two-minute spot in all its glory:
It’s encouraging that, in general, the campaign is so positive. It doesn’t admonish people for wasting, it empowers them to love their food. That empowering happens on the Save the Food website, through cooking tips, an in-depth storage guide and–soon–recipes.
As powerful as the PSAs are, the print ads are even better! These materials, which you may soon see on billboards, in magazines or even plastered on bus stops, have an amazing message, ‘Best If Used,’ stamped on food packaging. Simply removing the date label transforms those harmful expiration dates into a useful reminder to actually eat the food that we buy.
Another campaign message, that plays at the end of some ads, is ‘Wasting Food Wastes Everything: Water | Labor | Fuel | Money | Love. That stark wording is effective, and communicates the major impact of our national food waste problem.
At long last, we can say, Save the Food is many things:Â Modern | Simple | Clean | Poignant | Empowering | Live!