The IT Nerd

Hellmann’s® Canada’s island is back on Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with a spooky makeover. Around 80,000 metric tonnes of pumpkins are produced in Canada each year, however most of these are never eaten and end up being thrown away*.  Hellmann’s believes nothing is scarier than food waste, and the Halloween-themed island aims to help Canadians be more resourceful with their food and waste less this Halloween. 

With Halloween tipped to look a little bit different this year, Hellmann’s Halloween Island will offer Canadians a new, spooky virtual island experience and fun escape to enjoy safely from home, as well as the opportunity to once again make change in the real world, by converting their spoiled turnips in the game into real food for people in need via Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization.

Along with the eerie makeover, Hellmann’s has introduced some exciting new features and experiences to offer a full 360 Halloween experience within the game, including a Pumpkin Carving Station, Canola Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Haunted House and Cemetery, along with additional opportunities for non-gamers to participate in the initiative and support Second Harvest. 

Scary Food Waste Costumes

Hellmann’s has created a collection of in-game scary food waste costumes, available to download for free here, which includes; “Spooky Fish Skeleton”, “Creepy Leftover Carrot Costume”, “Sad Jack-o Lantern”, “Frightful Bacon Fat”, “Orange Rind Mummy Costume”, “Bruised Banana” and “Eerie Egg Yolk”. Each costume, inspired by a commonly wasted food item, is also accompanied on the site by food waste tips and recipes to try and encourage Canadians to waste less over the popular holiday period.

How both Animal Crossing players and non-gamers can give back

Between the hours of 2:30 PM and 12:15 AM EST from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, October 31, players will be able to visit Hellmann’s Halloween Island to drop off their spoiled turnips**. In exchange for each turnip, Hellmann’s will donate a real meal to Second Harvest to help provide 25,000 meals in total to Canadians in need.

Non-gamers can also participate in the initiative, by using the costume collection as inspiration to create their own scary food waste costumes at home and if they wish, share pictures of their creations on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #HellmannsIsland. For each scary food waste costume picture shared, Hellmann’s will donate one meal to Second Harvest, for an additional 1,000 meals in total. Seehere for DIY inspiration and guidelines***.

Hellmann’s has been on the side of food since 2007 with the introduction of the Real Food Movement. To date, Hellmann’s has donated 127,250 meals through the Real Food Rescue program and original Animal Crossing initiative for Canadians in need, with an additional 26,000 meals to be provided through the brand’s ongoing partnership with Second Harvest via Hellmann’s Halloween Island. 

Hellmann’s Halloween Island will be open between the hours of 2:30 PM and 12:15 AM EST from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, October 31, with dodo codes provided on a first-come, first-served basis on Twitter @HellmannsCanada. 

Visit Hellmanns.wyng.com/animalcrossing for scary food waste merch codes, DIY inspiration and simple tips and tricks to reduce your personal food waste at Halloween. 

*Statistics Canada – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/spooky-statistic-most-edible-pumpkins-end-up-in-trash-1.4859127

**How to access Hellmann’s Island: 

1. Hellmann’s Island will be open to visitors Between the hours of 2:30 PM and 12:15 AM EST from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, October 31
2. To access the island, gamers will direct message Hellmann’s Canada on Twitter @HellmannsCanada to receive their personal dodo code which will be shared on a first-come, first-served basis. 
3. Selected visitors will be given a 15-minute timeslot to drop off their spoiled turnips. For each spoiled turnip dropped off, Hellmann’s will donate a meal to Second Harvest until the 25,000 meal target is achieved.  
4. After dropping off their spoiled turnips, guests will have the opportunity to explore the rest of the attractions on Hellmann’s Island including: 

• Hellmann’s Farm – visitors can take a peaceful stroll through the picturesque canola fields or take a look at some other Hellmann’s ingredients, including freshly laid eggs from free-run hens and quality vinegar in rustic barrels.  
• Second Harvest Outdoor Kitchen & Pumpkin Carving Station – here, guests can relax and unwind by a waterfall, or take a seat at one of the picnic tables, enjoy a light snack, and gaze into the eyes of some ghoulish gourds.
• Canola Maze – visitors can explore the twists and turns of the canola maze, where scary surprises lurk around the corners.
• Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch & Cemetery – while touring Hellmann’s Island, guests can take in the scenery, like trees full of fresh autumn fruit, pumpkins ready to be picked, and a spooky cemetery that just might be home to a ghost or two.
• Guide’s Haunted House – guests who dare to enter here are certainly in for a scare, and it’s not just from the skeletons and bubbling cauldron: abandoned meals from feasts gone by are sure to leave visitors shaken.

***Hellmann’s social media donation initiative is a family friendly engagement meant to encourage people to learn more about food waste and engage with other participant’s costume ideas. Participants will create their food waste costumes to represent any type of food that may go to waste. Costumes can be homemade or purchased. Costumes must be family friendly. Photos must be posted to one of the qualifying platforms between 12AM, October 26 and 12.15AM, October 31, using the approved entry mechanisms. All described guidelines must be followed to qualify for the donation program.

This entry was posted on October 20, 2020 at 10:13 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Hellmann’s. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.