The brand invites fans to symbolically "adopt" one of four mayo-filled sandwiches at risk of extinction, alongside their $30M commitment to regenerative farming practices
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rest in Perfection, BLT. We'll miss you. Sandwiches as we know and love them today could become extinct as early as 2043.1 That's because soil is eroding, making it difficult for farmers to grow soybean crops – a key ingredient in Hellmann's mayonnaise – leaving the future of beloved mayo-filled sandwiches uncertain.
Hellmann's adoptable sandwich plushies come in four flavors (clockwise) - Italian Sub, BLT, Egg Salad and Turkey Club.
Rest in Perfection, BLT. We'll miss you. Because of soil erosion, we're losing ingredients that make up a BLT, like the soybeans used in Hellmann's mayo.
Star of picnics and on-the-go lunches, the Egg Salad sandwich is on the verge of egg-stinction.
Say "ciao" to your favorite mayo-filled sandwich to chow down: the Italian Sub.
Hellmann's isn't ready to say goodbye to the unsung hero of lunch hours: the Turkey Club Sandwich. That's why the brand is saving sandwich ingredients like mayonnaise through regenerative agriculture practices.
With new research from Hellmann's revealing two thirds of Americans believe that sandwiches taste better with mayonnaise and 95% of Americans eat sandwiches regularly2, Hellmann's is on a mission to Save Our Sandwiches (S.O.S.) and transform the way soybeans are grown – saving picnics, beach days and work lunches from a bleak, mayo-less fate.
From April 17-24 at SaveOurSandwiches.com, sandwich lovers can join Hellmann's mission and support their favorite lunch staple by "adopting" a sandwich – adorable plushies lovingly designed after four endangered sandwiches iconic for their use of mayo – the BLT, Turkey Club, Italian Sub and Egg Salad.
By adopting a sandwich, similar to how someone might sponsor or 'adopt' an endangered species, fans can help raise awareness of regenerative agriculture practices needed to save the mayo that brings our sandwiches together. All applicants will receive a digital adoption certificate and a $1 coupon for any Hellmann's product. Randomly selected lucky adopters will get to take home one plushie sandwich in an Adoption Kit, which includes an official adoption certificate and a bottle of deliciously creamy Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise3.
The brand has started by helping farmers in Iowa plant cover crops when growing their soybeans, so they can reduce harm to soil and replenish it with critical nutrients. Their commitment of $30 million over the next five years to help farmers in the US and Canada embrace regenerative agriculture farming practices will allow even more farms to start using techniques such as cover cropping. Without these types of practices, the equivalent of one soccer field of soil is lost every five seconds due to erosion. Cover cropping helps ensure the ground is covered with plants year-round to protect it from erosion and nutrient loss, even in the face of extreme weather.
"Resource depletion, including the erosion of healthy soil is making it more difficult for farmers we work with to grow soybean crops that are critical to Hellmann's mayonnaise," said Stefani Millie Grant, Associate Director, External Affairs and Sustainability at Unilever North America. "Given the importance of soybeans to Hellmann's, we believe that we should do our part to change this trajectory. That's why we're proud to be working with our partners at Practical Farmers of Iowa and directly with farmers to help them implement cover cropping and other regenerative practices – so they can become champions in protecting the future of mayo."
"The concept of 'adopting' a sandwich is a relatable way to educate and help people understand the risk of endangerment, which is why we thought to use this concept and invite our fans to help support their favorite mayo-centric sandwiches and demonstrate the positive impact regenerative agriculture could play in safeguarding the future of mayonnaise," said Chris Symmes, Senior Marketing Director, Dressings at Unilever North America. "We hope to see fans rallying behind the work we're doing to preserve the taste of mayonnaise, reduce the risk of extinction and advocate to help farmers protect their soil, so sandwiches can have that deliciously creamy bite of mayo for years to come."
As of fall 2023, Hellmann's has already supported over 700 farmers in Iowa, resulting in more than 142,000 acres planted with cover crops to improve soil health and this new commitment aims to scale this even further.
Throughout the month of April, Hellmann's, in partnership with creative agency VML and media agency Mindshare, will be running print and digital out of home advertisements in Chicago and Cincinnatimourning the impending "death date" of mayonnaise and thus, these four mayo-filled sandwiches. Last month, Hellmann's also created a pop-up sandwich shop to give unsuspecting New Yorker's a little "taste of the future" without sandwiches.
To learn more about regenerative agriculture and how you can help protect the future of sandwiches, visit www.SaveOurSandwiches.com.
About Hellmann's Hellmann's is committed to helping people enjoy great tasting good for the simple pleasure it is, without worry or waste. For over a century, the brand has helped people turn even the simplest ingredients into delicious meals. Hellmann's believes in the power of taste, because when food tastes good, less of it gets wasted. This belief has driven Hellmann's to be a force for positive behavior change around household food waste. Hellmann's partnered with experts to conduct one of the longest and largest consumer behavior studies on household food waste working with 2,000 families in the US and Canada gathering insights to help consumers better use the food they already have at home and to waste less. Hellmann's will continue to champion household food waste reduction through its "Make Taste Not Waste" campaigns, inspiring people to turn their left-behinds into easy, tasty meals. The past year alone, Hellmann's has been able to inspire more than 200 million people across the US, Canada and the UK.
About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 127,000 employees and generated sales of €59.6 billion in 2023.
Our leading brands in North America include Dove, Hellmann's, Vaseline, Degree, Axe, TRESemmé, Knorr, Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, Nutrafol, Liquid I.V., Paula's Choice, and Dermalogica.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com.
1 The NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business Analysis on behalf of Hellmann's, analytical approach here. 2Online survey developed by Edelman on behalf of Hellmann's, conducted by GWI in the USA in November 2023 with 1,000 Americans. 3 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The Hellmann's Adopt-A-Sandwich Giveaway is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18+. Begins at 9:00 a.m. ET on 4/17/24 & ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 4/24/24. For complete details and official rules, visit https://www.hellmanns.com/us/en/adoptasandwich-giveaway-rules.html.
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