Malnutrition Labels - Dole | Clapboard Ad Archive

Dole’s 2022 Malnutrition Labels: Nutritional Ink campaign, developed with St Luke’s and experiential design specialists Bompas & Parr, confronts the pervasive nutritional deficiencies in Britain’s snack culture by transforming the very medium of outdoor advertising into a compelling educational tool. Leveraging inks derived almost entirely from fruit waste—including pineapples and grapefruit—this ambient, integrated, and out-of-home initiative produces city-wide posters that contain more vitamins than many commonly consumed fast foods and sweets, making a stark and tangible comparison between the ink’s nutrient content and that of the snacks it critiques. This approach vividly symbolizes the nutrition gap affecting over three million people in the UK, using familiar nutrition labels reimagined through a public health lens to provoke conversation around obesity, food insecurity, and the environmental impact of food waste. The campaign builds on Dole Sunshine Company’s ongoing Malnutrition Labels series, which previously employed large-scale projections and food waste messaging on smart bins and waste trucks in New York City, expanding the narrative by inviting Londoners to #FavourMoreFruit and #ChangeTheFacts about their food choices. Collaborating closely with food scientists and the food charity FareShare, Dole underscores its belief that good nutrition is a fundamental human right, accessible and necessary for all. By integrating natural fruit-based inks into the advertising itself, the campaign embodies what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem—using metaphor and analogy to highlight malnutrition rather than explicit narratives or testimonials. This creative device turns the posters into a living demonstration of the issue, elevating the communication beyond traditional health warnings to a sensory, city-wide dialogue that bridges science, design, and social responsibility. The campaign’s reach is amplified through a coordinated mix of outdoor, social, and digital channels, ensuring that its message resonates with urban consumers whose snack habits contribute to a national health crisis. Clapboard rates this campaign 86/100. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how food brands can transcend product promotion by harnessing innovative, multisensory communication strategies that transform advertising into a platform for social change and public education.