SCARBOROUGH, ME - July 28 - The global nonprofit organization Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI) has launched a web-based video commercial (see www.eatrealfood.org ) for what it calls “real food”. The ad offers an entertaining alternative to the unhealthy food messages filling the internet and television airwaves, many of which are directed at children and are delivered by their favorite cartoon characters.

Developed in partnership with an award-winning 18 year-old computer animator, the 60-second animated video features “Polly”, a strong-minded schoolgirl who skips past opportunities for artificially flavored and colored junk foods in favor of something “really” delicious.

“American parents may be watching more reality TV these days, yet too few are seeking reality in their kids' food choices”, says KGI founder and president Roger Doiron . “Real foods – ones produced on a human-scale using natural ingredients and processes - are not only better for our health and the environment, they also taste better than their industrial imitators.”

A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that American children see 40,000 ads per year, double what they watched a generation ago. Most are for cereals, candy and fast food. The study found links between the rise in unhealthy food advertising and childhood obesity.

Founded last year, KGI is a global network of gardening gastronomes in over 35 countries. It seeks to educate people about the benefits – health, environmental, social, and gastronomic - of eating locally-produced, home-cooked foods.

“The kitchen garden is both a means and a metaphor for a different way of eating,” says Doiron. “It’s about reconnecting with the natural origins, flavors, and rhythms of good food. The best foods are often the simplest, least-processed ones. You shouldn’t need a degree in chemistry to know what’s on your child's dinner plate.”

To watch the video (Quicktime required), see: www.eatrealfood.org

For production stills, see: www.eatrealfood.org/stills.html

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