Peter Rabbit™ teams up with the United Nations, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Foundation on Global Campaign to mobilize more Food Heroes
Peter Rabbit has joined forces with the United Nations (UN) to enlist more food heroes
Culver City, Calif., – June 10, 2021 – Peter Rabbit has joined forces with the United Nations (UN), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Foundation to enlist more food heroes, like Peter, who see the value in fruits and vegetables for a balanced diet and a healthier planet.
Ahead of World Food Day in October, the United Nations, FAO and UN Foundation have teamed up with Peter Rabbit and his friends from Sony Pictures’ Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway to encourage their fans to be food heroes by taking actions like eating more healthy foods, buying at local gardens and farmers markets where possible, reducing food waste and planting their own garden – big or small.
“It’s an honor that our Peter is working with the United Nations for this worthy cause which will bring awareness to some very important issues that are very dear to Peter’s heart. Sustainable food and the environment is at the core of the Peter Rabbit stories so we are really happy that the UN, FAO and the UN Foundation see Peter as an important voice for this important matter,” said Will Gluck, writer, director and producer of Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.
“Peter Rabbit is a fun-loving character loved by children and fans worldwide," said Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. “Peter can help the United Nations reach new and important audiences. His voice is a great way to speak to children and their parents about the importance of healthy eating, buying local produce and other sustainable practices that are important to their health and the health of our planet. We should all aspire to be food heroes.”
“Transforming the way we produce, consume, and think about food is essential in this make-or-break year for our planet,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation. “We are extremely grateful to Sony Pictures for getting Peter Rabbit and his fans to help remind us that we all have a role to play, and that each of us can take action in our own lives as food heroes."
As part of the campaign, a new Public Service Announcement has been launched which features Peter and his friends tackling some of the most important issues regarding sustainable foods.
“FAO celebrates food heroes who help transform our agri-food systems and try to make sure everyone, everywhere has access to enough affordable, nutritious food,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “We are delighted to have Peter Rabbit and Sony Pictures helping us to have a conversation with children and families about why food heroes are important, so they can learn how to do their part and be food heroes too.”
To support the UN and FAO, Peter Rabbit will do his part as a food hero by also helping to launch the World Food Day poster contest in over 100 countries worldwide, and appearing in a World Food Day children’s activity book. The campaign wants to encourage youth and their families to become #FoodHeroes like Peter and his friends, by choosing healthy food, reducing food waste, and celebrating other food heroes who work hard to get food to our plate every day.
You can also join Peter and his friends and learn how to be a food hero through the un.org/ActNow website, the mobile app, and at fao.org/world-food-day.
FOR CAMPAIGN ASSETS (AV / PRINT)
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About the ActNow Campaign
ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change and sustainability. The campaign is a critical part of the UN’s effort to raise ambition and action on the climate crisis and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement. ActNow uses a mobile app by AWorld, and a chat bot on the website, to recommend daily actions to reduce our carbon footprints — like traveling more sustainably, cutting food waste, saving energy, or reusing clothes. For more information and to download the app, go to: www.un.org/actnow.
About the United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War and is committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. It is currently made up of 193 Member States, and in 2015 they unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit www.un.org
About World Food Day
World Food Day is observed on 16 October each year and marks the day on which the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded in 1945. The 2021 campaign will raise awareness of the need for more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems and call for action across sectors to contribute to the transformation that is needed to ensure these systems deliver enough affordable, nutritious and safe food for all. #WorldFoodDay 2021 will be celebrated a second time during the COVID-19 pandemic, whose repercussions disrupted agri-food systems and triggered an unprecedented global economic recession resulting in a dramatic loss of livelihoods and incomes and increased food insecurity and inequality.
About the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, supporting governments to transform agri-food systems through Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life – leaving no one behind. FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger.
The agri-food system covers the journey of food from farm to table – including when it is grown, fished, harvested, processed, packaged, transported, distributed, traded, bought, prepared, eaten and disposed of. It also encompasses non-food products that constitute livelihoods, and all of the people as well as the activities, investments and choices that play a part in getting us these food and agricultural products.
About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation is an independent charitable organization created to be a strategic partner for the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges, build initiatives across sectors to solve problems at scale, and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org
About PETER RABBIT™ 2: THE RUNAWAY
In PETER RABBIT™ 2: THE RUNAWAY, the lovable rogue is back. Bea, Thomas, and the rabbits have created a makeshift family, but despite his best efforts, Peter can’t seem to shake his mischievous reputation. Adventuring out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where his mischief is appreciated, but when his family risks everything to come looking for him, Peter must figure out what kind of bunny he wants to be.
Directed by Will Gluck. Written by Will Gluck & Patrick Burleigh. Based on the Characters and Tales of “Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. Produced by Will Gluck, Zareh Nalbandian, Catherine Bishop and Jodi Hildebrand. Executive Producers are Doug Belgrad, Jonathan Hludzinski, Jason Lust, Emma Topping and Thomas Merrington. The film stars Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki, with Margot Robbie and James Corden as Peter Rabbit.
Press Contacts
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Cynthia Balderas
Director, Corporate Communications
FAO Media Relations Office
Christopher Emsden
tel: (+39) 06 570 53291
christopher.emsden@fao.org
FAO Media Relations Office
(+39) 06 570 53625
FAO-Newsroom@fao.org
United Nations Creative Community Outreach Initiative
Carlos Islam
Communications Officer