• August 15, 2007

General Mills' Green Giant brand is launching an educational program for children. "Mighty Giants" is meant to get kids to eat their veggies and includes a Web site, mightygiants.com, a series of 15-second TV spots on Nickelodeon this summer, and products and packaging featuring Nickelodeon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Diego of "Go, Diego, Go!"

The Web site teaches eating and exercise via animated games and includes a section for parents. The seven 15-second videos will also be shown on the Web site.

Nickelodeon characters will appear on six Green Giant packages, including new frozen bagged and newly packaged canned vegetables that were designed to appeal to kids.

The company says the vegetable packaging has been reformulated with butter sauce, but in a low-fat combo with 45-60 calories per serving. Packages also include collectible stickers featuring Nickelodeon characters that can be used to reward kids for eating their vegetables.

Several Green Giant shelf-stable canned vegetables also will feature Nickelodeon characters on packaging, including cut green beans, niblets corn, Mexicorn and white corn. These canned varieties range from 20 to 80 calories per serving and also are low in fat.

--Karl Greenberg