British football star Marcus Rashford’s team up with Michelin-star chef Tom Kerridge will support more than half (57%) of the UK’s parents who are currently budgeting their household spending*, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The latest survey by GlobalData reveals that 60% of UK parents agree that they are following a strict weekly or monthly budget. This is well above the country’s average at 44%. UK parents also show dramatically higher responses for having a ‘reduced budget’ or ‘omitting certain products’.

Aaron Bryson, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “It is clear that Rashford and Kerridge’s campaign will resonate with families who have been hit hard financially. After bringing child food poverty into the spotlight last year, this campaign is a more light-hearted affair. By partnering with Kerridge, Rashford is able to deliver a new, and affordable twist to classic common dishes that may have lost their appeal over the years.”

As COVID-19 forced schools to close, preventing families from benefiting from free school meals, a huge number of children became increasingly vulnerable to low nutrition. As GlobalData’s research demonstrates, many families have been restricted in their ability to cater to these basic needs.

Bryson adds: “Health and wellness is a key trend across sectors, particularly in the backdrop of COVID-19. However, such concerns rarely trickle down to children’s consciousness. Rashford’s position as the spearhead in this latest drive could very well achieve the difficult task of making health ‘cool’ in children’s eyes, increasing their engagement with healthy, simple food products and meals.”

The 52 recipes will be released week by week on Instagram and in targeted touchpoints such as supermarkets, food banks and schools. The over-arching focus will be on being ‘easy to do’ meals, affordability and nutrition and health.

Bryson continues: “When compared to other similar campaigns, the importance of Rashford’s involvement is likely to be the key differentiator. Other public figures such as Jamie Oliver have attempted similar child-focused health and wellness drives, but to limited effect – largely due to the roadblocks seen in government regulations and institutions. Rashford’s approach is more direct, challenging the consumer instead.”

The use of Instagram will prove an effective tool to engage with younger consumers and mirrors the successful strategy McDonald’s and other large QSR brands implemented at the start of the lockdown in 2020, which saw them share their classic recipes to extend their reach into the home-space.

Bryson concludes: “The campaign will likely be a success, helping to engage more children with cooking and offering parents affordable meal ideas that their children will be excited about while also improving their healthy food intake. The only question that remains is whether Marcus Rashford will ever get the full support of his government teammates.”

* Data is taken from GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 Consumer Survey, March 2021