Ahead of the new school year starting, the cost of living is continuing to put strain on households across Australia. Research published by Foodbank revealed 3.7 million households in Australia experienced food-insecurity in the past 12 months. Foodbank’s 2022 research showed that 1.3 million children in Australia lived in severely food-insecure households.
A survey by Heinz shows that many Australian parents admit to being affected by the cost-of-living crisis, almost a third of those surveyed have had to change what they put in their child’s lunchbox due to inflation and a large number have had to create a strict budget for the cost of each meal.
Heinz has partnered with national charity Eat Up to help support its aim of “feeding hungry kids, so they can grow, learn and succeed”. As part of the partnership, Heinz is donating Beanz to Eat Up’s school lunch program. Also, dad and daughter duo, Ben & Zara, have created ‘Bean Appétit’, a budget-friendly online cookbook made by kids for kids. With all the recipes containing five ingredients or less, ‘Bean Appétit’ features fun and easy dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Social media stars Ben and Zara say, “Preparing for school lunches and sorting dinner can be really draining for everyone in the house, so we’re excited to create a cookbook that the whole family can enjoy together.
“Heinz Beanz can go with just about anything, so we had fun experimenting with this nutritious and creative ingredient in the cost-effective recipes. Our favourite would have to be either the Beanz, Salami & Rocket Pizza or the Beanz Ham and Pineapple Scrolls.”
Eat Up founder Lyndon Galea says: “Our ongoing partnership with Heinz will help us reach our shared goal of providing free school meals that children can look forward to. We’re committed to driving awareness of the impact of hunger on children’s ability to learn, grow and succeed.”
The partnership was announced at Blacktown North Public School, Sydney with lunch hosted by Ben and Zara.
Research by Heinz indicates that for many Aussie kids, recess and lunchtime are the most enjoyable parts of their school day.
Heinz Brand Manager Georgia Hopkin says: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Eat Up to help support their national food in schools’ program. Together, we’ve also created an ebook of budget-friendly, fun recipes for sprouting chefs at home.”
Visit heinz.com.au/heinz-beanz-eat-up to download the recipe e-book for free.
