Finnish children have eaten more than 7.6 tonnes of vegetables in Picnic restaurants – here’s how it was done

The “Finland’s Smartest Kids’ Meal”, launched by Picnic and food education company Vegemi in April, has encouraged children to eat vegetables at a record pace. More than 38,000 meals have been sold since the launch, putting around 7,600 kilograms of vegetables onto children’s plates. The collaboration demonstrates that restaurant food can be healthy, appealing and engaging at the same time.

Children’s restaurant meals have traditionally been seen as a nutritional challenge. Picnic and Vegemi wanted to turn this idea on its head: every children’s meal sold provides half of a child’s recommended daily intake of vegetables and contains no added sugar. With more than 38,000 meals sold, this amounts to approximately 7,600 kilograms – or 7.6 tonnes – of vegetables served to children. It is a tangible demonstration that the healthy choice can also be the easiest choice for families.

The wider context is significant. According to a study published by the University of Turku in 2021, only around one per cent of Finnish preschool-aged children (2–6 years old) eat the recommended five daily portions of vegetables, fruit and berries. Childhood nutrition has been shown to be linked to a range of lifestyle-related diseases later in life, making it important that healthy choices are accessible to as many children as possible.

Food education brought into the restaurant experience

Picnic’s children’s meal is served in educational packaging and includes a Vegemi cardboard character, collectible vegetable cards and superpower accessories. The experience continues in the Vegemi app, where children can carry on playing and learning after their restaurant visit. At selected Picnic restaurants, children can also use the app on Vegemi tablets provided by Hublet.

Vegemi is a friendly microbiome superhero who gains superpowers from vegetables. Through gamification, storytelling and learning, vegetables are made interesting and motivating for children.

“The level of interest surprised even us. It shows that families want better options for their children when they are made easy and appealing enough. Every meal sold is also a small moment of food education,” says Vegemi co-founder Emilia Järvinen.

Picnic also sees the restaurant industry as having a role to play in improving children’s diets. “We want to show that restaurants can be part of the solution when it comes to children’s nutrition,” says Picnic Marketing Manager Elina Halinen.

Finnish food education goes global

In addition to its app, Vegemi operates in early childhood education and schools. The method, developed in collaboration with the City of Espoo, has also received significant international recognition. Vegemi’s nutrition education method was selected for the HundrED Global Collection 2026, which highlights 100 of the world’s most impactful education innovations. Vegemi has also previously been showcased through the UN-led SDG Lab in Davos during the World Economic Forum as an example of a solution supporting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

In Finland, Vegemi is used in early childhood education in Espoo and Vantaa and has also been part of the national Niitty 2 project in relation to dental health.

The Picnic collaboration is one of Vegemi’s first large-scale initiatives in the restaurant sector, and its results can provide a model for future international initiatives focused on healthier diets for children. Vegemi also collaborates with a number of like-minded brands in Finland.

Key figures

• Children’s meals sold since launch: more than 38,000
• Vegetables served to children: approximately 7,600 kg (200 g of vegetables per meal)
• Each meal provides: half of a child’s recommended daily vegetable intake, with no added sugar
• Launch: 22 April 2026, across Picnic restaurants (40 restaurants in 18 cities)
• Sales figures: 22 April–10 August 2026

 

Vegemi (Vegducation Oy) is a Finnish food education company founded in 2023. Vegemi encourages children to eat more vegetables through play, storytelling and game-based learning. Vegemi is an internationally recognised method and is used in Finland as well as several other countries. The free Vegemi app is available from app stores.

Picnic is a Finnish restaurant chain founded in 1991, with 40 restaurants across 18 cities. Picnic has employed more than 3,000 young people over the years. The company continuously develops its offering by listening to its customers.

Further information and interview requests: Vegemi: Emilia Järvinen, Co-founder · 050 560 6086 · emilia@vegemi.com Picnic: Elina Halinen, Marketing Manager · 040 832 1368 · elina.halinen@picnic.fi Images attached (images: Picnic)