There’s no sprout about it…the nation is divided when it comes to the humble sprout, so this year supermarket Aldi has partnered with renowned hypnotist Paul McKenna, to create the world’s first mass online hypnosis to convert the nation’s 15 million sprout haters into sprout lovers this Christmas.
“I was excited at the prospect of being part of a fun, festive project, with a good cause at its heart. This sprouts hypnosis is all about increasing food choices for Brits over Christmas, at a time that is all about enjoyment. Not only are sprouts an essential part of Christmas day, but they are also a great source of vitamins and minerals. Here’s to coming together as a nation to keep them on our Christmas dinner plates for good.” – Paul McKenna
The 10-minute ‘Save Our Sprouts’ trance, which is available on Aldi’s YouTube channel, could see up to 130 million sprouts saved from the bin on Christmas Day. In the first-ever mass hypnotism of this kind, McKenna uses the power of mind over matter to help viewers create positive associations to the mini brassicas, eradicating previous fears and apprehension regarding sprout consumption.
The announcement comes as research by Aldi reveals 23% of the nation identify as sprout haters, this rises to 41% of 18–24-year-olds, Bradford is the biggest sprout hating town in the UK (60% dislike them, 1 in 10 Brits (10%) fear that sprouts could lose their place on the Christmas dinner plate for good and sprouts were ranked as the LEAST favourite component of the Christmas dinner plate.
To put the trance to the test, Aldi recruited two sprout hating members of the public to undergo hypnosis with Paul.
By asking that they imagine the texture and taste of their favourite food when eating brussels sprouts, Paul was able to refocus their brains to let go of previous negative thoughts towards the vegetable. After the session, which took approximately 15 minutes, both had been converted into sprout lovers, and happily ate them when offered.
Scott Garson, a Finance Manager from Clapham, London said:
“I’m shocked. I think the most surprising outcome of this experiment is that after eating one sprout, I went in for another. I never thought that I would like them, let alone want more! I just hope it lasts and it’s a merry sproutmas.”
Enoch Ogbonnaya, a student from Charlton, London said, of tasting the sprouts:
“The flavour has changed…I don’t know how, but it has! My mum is going to be absolutely shocked, and she’s going to be buzzing. Now, when she puts brussel sprouts on the plate, I’ll ask for seconds.”
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said:
“Sprouts are a polarising vegetable that has the nation divided. Not only will our online hypnosis help customers to enjoy every single element of their Christmas dinner, but it could also help to save millions of sprouts from being tossed in the bin. We hope that sprout haters up and down the country are encouraged to give the hypnosis a go.”
Aldi’s sprout hypnosis is available to view on Aldi’s YouTube channel, just in time to help sprouts haters up and down the country ahead of the Big Day. See the next page for some sprouts recipes that may just temp the haters into becoming lovers…
