The Case of the Missing Fruit - Philips and Rijksmuseum work some magic to inspire healthy living

 Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, has announced its ‘Dutch Masterjuices’ campaign, in partnership with the renowned Rijksmuseum, to highlight the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption. The healthy living campaign marks the release of a short film which sees still life works of art suddenly appear without its fruit and vegetables in a bold move that creates confusion and surprise with museum visitors.

It is estimated that 86% of Europeans don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables a day [1], ‘Dutch Masterjuices’ was made to highlight these low levels of consumption and address the question – would we notice if this staple part of our diet was suddenly taken away? While the seemingly altered art creates confusion, the missing fruit soon shows up, in the form of a juice, inspired by the Rijksmuseum masterpiece, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, c. 1728 by Jan van Huysum, so visitors can ‘taste the art’. The juices also reflect the growing trend of juicing and creating smoothies to increase our daily fruit and vegetable intake.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day for the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity [2]. ‘Dutch Masterjuices’ aims to put the benefits of fruit and vegetables consumption back in focus. Importantly, other benefits include:

• Including fruits and vegetables as part of the daily diet may reduce the risk of some non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer [3].
• Insufficient intake of fruit and vegetables is estimated to cause around 14% of gastrointestinal cancer deaths, about 11% of ischemic heart disease deaths and about 9% of stroke deaths globally [2].
• A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of stroke, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar which can help keep appetite in check [4].
• Homemade juices with fresh ingredients can contain up to 90% [5] of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables [6]. 

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Lucy Jones, Dietician, British Dietetic Associationsaid, “This is a really great campaign which I hope will get people thinking about their diet and lifestyle choices. Fruit and vegetables are naturally good and packed with vitamins and nutrients which keep us healthy. But the world doesn’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. People may be concerned about the amount of sugar that can be found in some fruit so it’s important to speak to a qualified dietician for any queries or concerns. I hope this campaign will help people understand the important role of fruit and vegetables in our diets and inspire people to eat more.”

Egbert van Acht, Chief Business Leader of Philips’ Personal Health businesses said, “At Philips we believe there is always a way to make life better and we are committed to developing innovations that promote better health. Art enriches people’s lives and as a founder and a long term partner of the Rijksmuseum, we are delighted to team up on this campaign which combines our passion for the arts with our commitment to healthy living. With ‘Dutch Masterjuices’ we strive to show that eating well is a key pillar of a healthy lifestyle.”

Taco Dibbits, Director of the Rijksmuseum said, “I think still life with fruits are quite underestimated by our visitors, whereas if you look at it, it is quite magnificent art. We very much appreciate the partnership with Philips because we feel it is such a natural fit and we enrich people’s lives everywhere.”

• Jan van Huysum, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, c. 1728 
• Anthony Oberman, Still Life with Fruit in a Terracotta Dish, c. 1830
• Floris Claesz. van Dijck, Still Life with Cheese, c. 1615

For more information, and to view ‘Dutch Masterjuices’, visit www.philips.com/dutchmasterjuices.   

[1] Adapted from European Health Interview Survey 2016, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7694616/3-14102016-BP-EN.pdf/1234ac94-27fd-4640-b9be-427a42d54881 Accessed: 06 April 2018

[2] World Health Organization (WHO), Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Available at: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/fruit/en/ Accessed: 06 April 2018

[3] World Health Organization (WHO), e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions Available at: http://www.who.int/elena/titles/fruit_vegetables_ncds/en/ Accessed: 06 April 2018

[4] Harvard School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source, Vegetables and Fruits. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/Accessed: 06 April 2018

[5] Internal tests on grapes, watermelon, tomato, apple, orange, strawberry and pineapple extracting, ranging from 69% to 92% depending on fruit.

[6] Philips, Fresh juices for healthier living. Available at: https://www.philips.ae/c-m-ho/food-preparation/liquid-health Accessed: 06 April 2018