Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) has launched the Australian Onions ‘Secret Serve’ campaign, aiming to help parents - as the name suggests - feed their children an extra vegetable serving on the sly.

The launch comes following Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey 2014-15 data that showed an alarming 94.6% of the country's children aged 2-18 years are not getting the recommended daily serves of vegetables.

In a release, the Hort Innovation said that while Australians already "love" onions, the new campaign encourages parents and meal prepares to include the veggie in more meals by inspiring them with new ways to serve onions and get kids accustomed to the taste.

Hort Innovation marketing lead Graeme Yardy said the campaign hopes to make it easier for parents to ensure their children are getting the recommended five serves of vegetables by showing them how easy it is to add onions into family favorite recipes.

"Australian children aren’t consuming nearly enough vegetables. Onions can help: they are a versatile, delicious and nutritious vegetable you can add to any meal without the kids even knowing," he said.

“The Secret Serve Campaign is designed to show that onions can become a reliable, and hassle-free serve of veg for your children, ensuring they are well nourished without the nightly argument - which we see as a big win!”

This often-overlooked everyday vegetable is considered a ‘wonder vegetable’ containing many health benefits. An anti-oxidant, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory vegetable, onions contain high levels of biotin (vitamin H), manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber.

Other attributes include boosting the immune system and helping to maintain good gut and heart health.

The recipe card will include a seven-day meal planner of recipes containing a Secret Serve of onion including:

• Secret spaghetti bolognese
• Vanishing vegetarian fried rice
• Hidden homemade beef burgers
• Undercover beef stroganoff
• Masked minted lamb rissoles
• Camouflaged chicken san choy bau
• Incognito sizzling steak fajitas

The recipe booklet will also feature tips on how to dice, store and cook onions as well as how to stop the tears when cutting them.

To supplement these, the Secret Serve campaign will also feature recipes created by well-known food personalities across Australia.

As part of the campaign roll out, the onion industry has partnered with the mushroom industry to bring their in-store cooking demonstrations to over 450 Woolworths, Coles, and independent supermarket and green grocer stores across Australia. Spaghetti Bolognese will be on the menu and shoppers will be able to sample a recipe containing both vegetables, showcasing how easy it is to sneak a serving of each into every meal.

The campaign was recently launched with an in-store ribbon-cutting at Get Fresh in Findon, South Australia.

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