At a recent test screening, special decks of cards featuring fruits and vegetables were given to a select handful of grade 4 students by a firm contracted by a group of Ontario fresh vegetable growers.
Within minutes of being taught how to play, the kids were teaching their elders.
Sue McLarty, manager of the Fresh Vegetable Growers of Ontario, admitted that she got trounced by a 10- year-old on her very first hand, and was happy about it. “Kids who develop a healthy pleasure in vegetables will have a head start on a healthy life,” McLarty said. “I don’t mind losing at cards if that’s the end result. Besides, those kids are quick.”
The card game uses 22 cards, each with its own vegetable character, from Astro Nightsky, an asparagus stalk transformed into a cool kid with a telescope, to Cody, a skateboarding cabbage. Each also comes with its own story, like Celine D’Onion, whose vitamin C helps her show off a dazzling smile while she sings.
The goal of the Canada Food Guide-based game is to quickly collect points, but to do that, the player also needs to watch out for the two zero-point cards that will hurt their hands. They are Salty the Salt Shaker, and Buddy the Butter Stick, which come with reminders that they are best used in moderation.
Teachers tested the game too and have given it a thumbs-up, McLarty added. The next step is to determine details of getting the games and support materials into the schools, and then to the kids.
The fresh vegetable organization is interested in reaching schoolchildren across the province because not only do children influence their parents’ buying decisions, they also need fresh vegetables for proper growth, and a recent Heart and Stroke Foundation survey shows that only one quarter of Canadians eat the recommended five to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. The organization was formed two years ago by growers who believe the sector needs do a better job of communicating with consumers.
