This brand tapped babies to turn food mess into art

Ella's Kitchen, the U.K-based baby food brand is encouraging babies to make a mess.

In the brand's first TV ad since 2018, a group of babies and toddlers in an art gallery run, walk and crawl toward an installation made of colorful fruit and vegetables that spells out the words "Don't play with food." Undeterred, the non-reading age babies start to squeeze, crush and dismantle it, creating a mess (as well as eating some of it) until the artwork reads "DO." An accompanying voiceover states: "When mealtime is playtime, love for food lasts a lifetime."

The spot is by Havas London and was directed by Ben Brand of Great Guns. It comes as Ella’s Kitchen is calling on the U.K. Government to include sensory food education—which encourages people to experience food through all their senses—as an early learning goal.

“At Ella’s Kitchen, we firmly believe that children should  play with their food," said Mark Cuddigan, chief executive officer at Ella’s Kitchen, in a statement. "All the research suggests that doing so—and by experiencing food in a sensory way from a young age—leads to healthier long-term eating habits, and the associated health benefit that brings."