• by Steve Ellwanger , March 23, 2023

Heinz has returned to the virtual gaming world to engage with players on the Fortnite platform who are interested in environmental issues—specifically, soil degradation.

Called S.O.S. Tomatoes, the game was created to highlight the role healthy soil plays in global food systems.

Heinz hopes it will appeal to gamers ages 18-34 while informing them about the brand’s regenerative and sustainable practices on its tomato farms.

As seen in this video created by GUT São Paulo, S.O.S. Tomatoes takes place on its own Fortnite island—which shrinks dramatically to illustrate the rapid rate at which soil health is declining.

After entering the code 1877-1435-6432 on Fortnite’s island code page, players activate such environmentally friendly practices used by Heinz as crop rotation and cover cropping—which involves plants that are used to cover soil as opposed to being harvested.

It’s a race against time as the Fortnite battle zone called The Storm shrinks the Heinz safe zone.

According to Heinz, an estimated 95% of the food we eat is directly or indirectly produced in soils.

The company has committed to achieving sustainably sourced ketchup tomatoes globally by 2025.

“Through this commitment, we are building better soils that will not only feed our unique tomatoes but have the potential to help store carbon—an important pillar in our roadmap to aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Christina Kenz, chief growth and sustainability officer, said in a news release.

As previously reported, Heinz partnered with video gaming company Activision to provide gamers with 11 “hidden spots” in Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific, where they could safely take a burger break.