The baked beans and tomatoes producer, Heinz has teamed up with Fortnite for a new campaign to educate gamers on the importance of soil health and the issues surrounding soil degradation.
Developed in collaboration with the metaverse experts at Druid Gaming, the ketchup maker has created a one-of-a-kind island within the Fortnite universe inspired by Heinz’s tomato farms around the world.
In a Fortnite-first, players are challenged to out-run The Storm, a shrinking safe zone that grows smaller at a speed faster than the average game. This shrinking safe zone has been developed to shine a light on the rapid rate at which soil health is declining.
Soil plays an essential part in the food system. It’s estimated that 95% of the food we eat is directly or indirectly produced in soils. It’s according to environmental experts that our soils are at risk and could be gone in as little as a generation if we don’t act now.
The game has been developed to have a positive impact on the real world. Playing in the virtual world will help Heinz on its mission to protect an extra 13.5m square metres of soil, equating to more than 1,600 football pitches.
Players will be able to experience Heinz’s tomato growing journey in the game, starting in greenhouses that house infant tomato plants which are then transplanted into fields where they grow into mature, fruit-filled tomato plants. The island demonstrates just some of the sustainable and regenerative practices that Heinz supports in the real world. These practices include cover cropping, crop rotation, and maintaining soil cover.
In 2020, Heinz made a commitment to further enhance its sustainable agricultural practices to protect good food for future generations to enjoy.
Cristina Kenz, chief growth and sustainability officer for Heinz, said: “When it comes to Heinz, it all starts with our delicious tomatoes. That’s why we’ve 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 has the potential to help store carbon, an important pillar in our roadmap to aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Players can access Heinz’s SOS Tomatoes Island now by entering the code 1877-1435-6432 on the island code page found on Fortnite’s Discover screen.
In order to improve the quality and health of the soil for tomato farmers of Heinz tomato Ketchup, the company makes financial contributions to farmers to promote the use of regenerative agricultural practices through its ‘soil health programme’ which includes cover cropping, crop rotation, and composting.
For this game, Heinz is making additional funds of $100,000 available and $30 will be contributed per acre of tomato farming which equals to a total of 13.5 million square-metres of soil which will benefit as a result.
