Care For A Lemonade By ‘Mr. Failed Lemon’?
THEY may be ugly but certainly not any less yummy than their shiny, good looking counterparts. The ‘Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables’ Campaign of Intermarché, France’s third-largest supermarket chain to promote consumption of fruits and vegetables is both hilarious and ingenious. The stars of the campaign: Mr. Failed Lemon, Mr. Grotesque Apple, Mr. Ridiculous Potato, Mr. Hideous Orange, Mr. Disfigured Eggplant, Mr. Ugly Carrot, who all look more alien than appetizing. But at Intermarché, they get VIP aisles, presentation, packaging and lots of fawning over by the people and French media alike.
The results are gratifying, with customers lapping up the fruits and veggies at a positively alarming rate. And the only problem this sustainably innovative supermart is facing, is falling short of stock. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about one-third of global food production (around 30 to 40 percent), is lost or wasted annually. In developed countries, at the retail level, large quantities of food are wasted due to quality standards that over-emphasize appearance. But based on the amount of buzz this campaign has generated in France, one could hope for at least one less at country adding to this colossal amount of food waste in a Planet where 842 million people do not have enough to eat (wfp.org).
To encourage customers Intermarché has offered 30% discount and also launched a whole range of soups and juices made from these ‘inglorious’ fruits & vegetables. Needless to say, it worked wonders for their stores that sold an average of 1.2 tons during the first two days of the campaign and experienced a 24% increase in the store traffic. Sustainability & profit!
Everyone loves a good underdog story and here’s hoping that this amazing trend started by Intermarché becomes ‘viral’ in supermarkets across the world. I, for one, would love to get my hands on a successfully-delicious-‘failed-lemon’-lemonade. Are you listening Big Bazaar, Star Bazaar, Reliance Mart, Godrej Nature’s Basket?
