When shopping for fresh produce, people tend to go for the best looking of the lot and avoid the oddly shaped vegetables and fruits altogether. However, this leads to huge amounts of perfectly good food that is wasted, all because it looks a little funny.
In the fight against wasted food, French grocery store Intermarché launched a campaign to celebrate the most misshapen produce. These print ads by Marcel Paris and Elysian Fields show taglines like "The ugly carrot—in a soup, who cares?" and "The ridiculous potato—elected Miss Mashed Potato 2014." These funny lines are also being used in-store and additionally, the unusually shaped fruits and vegetables are priced 30% cheaper than the prettiest produce. Since the campaign has been implemented, there's been a 60% increase in traffic to the fresh produce sections at Intermarché.
Ugly Produce Campaigns
Intermarche Defends Oddly Shaped Vegetables & Fruits to Reduce Food Waste
Trend Themes
1. Food Waste Reduction - Campaigns promoting the use of misshapen produce to reduce food waste.
2. Celebration of Imperfection - Embracing the beauty and value of oddly shaped fruits and vegetables.
3. Print Advertising Campaigns - Using creative taglines and visuals to promote the sale of misshapen produce.
Industry Implications
1. Grocery Retail - Grocery stores can adopt similar campaigns to reduce food waste and increase sales of misshapen produce.
2. Food and Beverage - Restaurants and food companies can incorporate misshapen produce into their menus and products, promoting sustainability and uniqueness.
3. Advertising and Marketing - Creative agencies can develop campaigns that challenge conventional beauty standards and bring attention to the issue of food waste.