Montreal-based FoodFun wants kids to play with their food. Created by Adam Starr, president and founder of Gearwerx Experiential Marketing, and run out of the Gearwerx office, the new company is developing games it hopes will encourage a positive relationship with healthy foods.
“There is an apathetic attitude in our society right now relative to a healthy lifestyle,” Starr says, reinforced by the fact that North American childhood obesity rates have almost tripled in the past 25 years.
A father of three, Starr was inspired in part by the experiential marketing work he’s done for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, including assisting in the launch of its Spark program for healthy kids.
So far, three games have been released: FoodMoves, a card game that encourages kids to run and jump as they identify different foods; FoodFarm, a riff on pin the tail on the donkey; and a series of flashcards called FoodFlash.
With prices ranging from $8 to $19, the games are available online at Foodfun.org, and the company is in talks with several grocery chains about distribution. Starr sees grocery stores as an ideal retail channel for reaching the target demo – moms, teachers and other caregivers – while they’re actively thinking about food. His goal is to have the products in grocery stores by September 2011, which is childhood obesity awareness month.
For now, FoodFun is reaching out to consumers via PR and social media, both handled internally. Bon appétit!