Information on fruit & vegetable promotional campaigns around Europe and beyond

Fresh Times – Edition 3, 2019

Freshfel Europe collects this information from different sources to the best of its knowledge. Freshfel Europe is in no way responsible for the content of the articles used. For any questions or further information, please contact Nicola Pisano or Nelli Hajdu at the Association’s Secretariat.

Editor’s Note: Beginnings of summer

Is it really summer already? It can’t already be the beginning of July. Summer is upon us and it’s always a wonderful season to explore the different varieties, tastes, shapes and colours of fresh fruits and vegetables. In this June issue of the Fresh Times we take a look at many different and new approaches to fruit and vegetable promotion campaigns including airport sales, campaigns with multi target audiences, collaborations with sporting teams and diversification into new markets. Take a read to find out more! The fourth edition of the Fresh Times will be released in August – until next time!

Italy: Know App 

Knowing European Apples or ‘Know App’ is the latest promotion campaign from Assomela targeting both producers and traders as well as end consumers of Italian apples. Taking places in Italy and Spain between 2019 and 2022, Know App provides information on apples to optimize in-store product management and informs consumers about the product they’re purchasing. During the campaign information activities will take place in Italy and Spain for retail fresh produce managers and study trips to Trentino-Alto Adige will be organised to showcase Assomela’s products. Training will also be provided on how to store apples correctly, recognise different varieties and manage rotation and shelf-life.

Belgium: Airport snack & go

You’ve checked in your bags at Brussels Airport and are looking for a healthy snack before your flight, Coöperatie Hoogstraten has got you covered! In cooperation with Autogrill België Hoogstraten is introducing a new on-the-go concept at Brussels airport providing Hoogstraten strawberries, cherries, blueberries and snack tomatoes at various points in the airport. With only Belgian products for sale, these fresh snack are available in cheerful cups with lids – easy to carry in your bag while searching the duty-free aisles! As a little vitamin boost before or during the flight, you’ll be covered for healthy snacks whatever the time of day (or night!).

Spain: Eat like a Pro

Beko, a leading home appliance brand, published results of their global survey which identified a gap between children’s knowledge of healthy nutrition and their knowledge and interest in football. Showing that childrens’ interest in healthy eating is lower compared to football, Beko decided to embark on a new campaign ‘Eat like a Pro’ to inspire children to eat like their heroes through a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables. The campaign shares favourite recipes of FC Barcelona players online to inspire healthy cooking at home. The campaign is in partnership with UNICEF and the Barca Foundation to prevent childhood obesity worldwide.

The Netherlands: Snacking on tomatoes

Syngenta Seeds organised a tomato party for 15 children in June to teach them about snacking tomato production and consumption. First, the children took a tour of the snacking tomato greenhouses where they learnt about all the different variety of snacking tomatoes, their yellow flowers, the importance of bees for pollination and insect traps. The children were then taken into the Tomato World kitchen to learn how to prepare and eat snacking tomatoes! The children were free to devise their own tomato creations and each took a large box of tomatoes to distribute to their classmates at school the next day.

UK: Fruit & Veg Kids

The Fruit & Veg Kids are here to help you learn about the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in your daily diet, regardless of whether you’re a child or an adult! With both books and video animations, the Fruit & Veg Kids materials are full of rhymes and stories to make learning about fruits and vegetables, their nutritional qualities and their place in diet engaging and amusing. Children with learning difficulties can also benefit from the books due to their simple and clear presentation. The video animations also follow each of the 23 Fruit & Veg Kids characters, with the possibility to vote for your favourite character.

Spain: Broccoli mothers

Over the mother’s day period, +Broccoli launched a two-week promotion campaign with influential mums online to encourage broccoli consumption in meals at home. Mum e-influencers were encouraged to consume broccoli for its nutritional qualities and its culinary versatility and post their photos on social media using #meunoalverde, showing that in the world of family and motherhood broccoli consumption is possible. Each influencer was also given a copy of the book ‘Great chefs and broccoli’ and a broccoli toy for their children. Additionally, at more than 10,000 points of sale broccoli was specially labelled with “Disfruta lo + sano” to help promote the campaign.

Italy: Cherry season!

There’s no denying it’s cherry season! This summer Ortofrutta Italia embarked on a new national promotion campaign to highlight the ease of consuming cherries in a modern lifestyle. Targeting several thousand points of sale in all the major retail chains and specialist stores, Ortofrutta Italia displayed posters portraying the seasonality of cherries and highlighting their national origin and quality. Importantly the campaign drew attention to their nutritional qualities, especially their high content of vitamin A and C, low calories and anti-inflammatory properties. Customers were invited to make a cherry feast with cherries bridging the gap between spring and full summer.

Italy: Natural Goodness 

A three year promotional campaign co-funded by the EU ‘Natural Goodness from the Italian Alps’ has been launched in Malaysia to highlight the benefits of European apples to quality-conscious consumers. Kicking off in Kuala Lumpur with senior apple growers from the Italian Alps and Malaysian importers, wholesalers and media, the campaign coordinators highlighted the activities taking place over the three years. This includes a series of tasting events at Malaysian malls, media outreach and influencer and social media engagement activities to generate awareness of the merits of European agricultural production and Italian apple consumption. Malaysia is Italian apples second largest market in South East Asia.

France: Vegetable Happy Meals

In May McDonald’s France announced that they would be offering fresh-cut cucumbers in place of French fires in their Happy Meals. The cucumbers are being provided by 16 local French farms. The new initiative is part of McDonald’s France’s endeavour to promotion vegetable consumption amongst children, which includes carrot sticks and grape tomatoes as additional Happy Meal items. McDonald’s France products account for nearly half of the fruit consumed by children under 15 years of age in commercial catering. McDonald’s France is now committing further to fresh produce consumption in the young by providing more fresh vegetable options.

US: Michelin avocados

In a first-of-its-kind marketing initiative the World Avocado Organisation (WAO), the California Avocado Commission (CAC) and the Peruvian Avocado Commission (PAC) have partnered to sponsor the new Michelin Guide for California. This particular focus on avocado (as a single product) is the first non-processed agricultural product collaboration in the 119-year history of the Michelin Guide, which was introduced in France in 1900. The world’s leading avocado industry organisations are joining forces with the Michelin Guide to recognize top restaurants in California, which feature avocado as one of their main ingredients. The new Guide is also the first regional guide in US.

Japan: Banana display

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the development of Gokusen Bananas® specifically for Japan on the 9 May Dole Japan launched a large public anniversary event. Named Gokusen Day, the anniversary launch is a special day as it comes immediately after the arriveal of Japanan’s new imperial era, Reiwa. To commemorate both these important days Dole created a giant textual banana artwork comprising of 2,000 bananas spelling out Reiwa and was on display to the public. The artwork contrasts the yellow ripe Gokusen bananas and those that are green and not yet ripe to create a mosaic measuring 6m by 3.5m.

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