The Origins of World Iron Awareness Week

Ahead of World Iron Awareness Week (WIAW), running from 22-28 August, GMA spoke to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Fiona Windle who was instrumental in starting the campaign 9 years ago.


World Iron Awareness Week in 2022 will, for the first time, be without a flagbearer who’s been there since inception. Beef + Lamb New Zealand has always spearheaded the campaign, but the alarm for iron deficiency statistics was first raised by Massey University’s Professor of Human Nutrition, John Birkbeck, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

“He came to our CEO and raised his concern as an expert in nutrition, around iron deficiency rates in New Zealand and that we, as Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the meat industry, should start raising the awareness of iron deficiency and talking about key sources of iron like red meat,” Fiona said.

Professor Birkbeck’s advocacy for tackling the nutritional disorder that plagues more of the global population than any other in the world, will continue this August.

The difference between 2014 and now is that WIAW has grown from its New Zealand roots, which Fiona says was “just a toe in the water to see how it went”, to become a worldwide campaign.

Increasingly the campaign highlights those most at risk of iron deficiency, the implications of being short on iron, and which dietary choices will optimise iron levels.

“For Beef + Lamb New Zealand, iron as a nutrient has been a core backbone to our nutritional messaging for 30 years,” Fiona said.

“While the deficiency has always been there, we actually don’t really understand if it’s getting worse or not, because for us in New Zealand, and other countries, few are capturing current iron statuses; no one has got a good handle on current iron deficiency rates.”

WIAW has had a variety of themed campaigns to successfully raise awareness, including last year’s ‘Level Up’ ad.

“People have been able to leverage and utilise the campaign assets and put their own spin on it, just like GMA does with various messaging for the industry to tailor to their own initiatives,” Fiona said.

Fiona has been on the WIAW journey since the start and seen what’s worked and what hasn’t. The campaign grew through the work of the International Meat Secretariat (IMS) and by tapping into Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s other connections. This is her biggest tip for growing the initiative locally and internationally.

“We’ve thought outside the square and thought we can’t just be a meat and iron campaign as our product isn’t eaten in isolation, so we’ve very much diversified ourselves at a national level with various organisations,” Fiona said.

“I think it’s all about relationships, that would probably be my key takeout, using it as a platform to demonstrate collaboration and show a united front on addressing a national and global concern. Iron deficiency can’t always be cured by diet alone, but that is a key component to preventing our statistics getting worse.

“If you get a more diverse voice on a topic, your reach to people will only be greater.”

In the June Monthly Insights Report, GMA has provided social media assets, media releases, speaking points and a letter to capitalise on Fiona’s advice to connect with your networks.

You’ll find more resources in next month’s report to ramp up awareness ahead of the week, but we encourage you to think outside the box and come up with new ideas:

·       Which social media star or celebrity chef can you team up with?

·       Can you connect with health professionals or politicians to maximise coverage?

·       Would a blood drive draw in a bigger audience?

Let us know!

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June roundup: World Iron Week, the international meat summit, and EAT 2.0

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May roundup: UNEP’s alt-protein report, a petition to end industry, and a red meat tax returns