Since October 1st, it’s Veggie day on Thursdays at Carrefour Belgian stores. An initiative introduced as part of the Act For Food campaign, in response to the growing phenomenon that is vegetarianism.
There has been a clear decline in meat consumption of late, with more and more of us becoming vegetarian, whether for ethical or ecological reasons or in the search for true well-being.
A meat-free day
Carrefour Belgium has decided to show its support for this phenomenon by collaborating with the EVA (Alternative Vegetarian Ethics) – the organisation behind the ‘Veggie Thursday’ campaign. Launched with the support of the Flemish government, the Minister for the Environment and Bruxelles Environnement, “Veggie Thursday is a campaign designed to encourage consumers to try and eat a more balanced meal one day a week, with a strong emphasis on cereals, fruits and vegetables – a meal containing no meat or fish but lots of fruits and vegetables. A more veggie-friendly day. A healthy day!”, the association explains, its aim being to have a million Brussels residents go meat-free on Thursdays.
Carrefour celebrates all things veggie
Veggie Thursday was launched in Carrefour’s Belgian stores to coincide with World Vegetarian Day on October 1st and gives customers the opportunity to take advantage of 20% off vegetarian alternatives in the chilled section and Carrefour Veggie-branded products – “a diverse range of vegetarian products including biscuits, croquettes and nuggets, guaranteed not to contain meat or fish and maintaining the perfect balance of cereals, legume plants and vegetables”. Tailored advice is also available from vegetarian cuisine experts.
Taking all consumer trends into account
The reality now is that non-specialist brands are showing a keen interest in all consumer trends. Vegetarianism may only concern a small proportion of the population – and whilst it is certainly growing it is still currently a social micro-phenomenon – yet Carrefour is taking the issue very seriously, by hosting a weekly day event rather than a one-off promotional operation. This joint initiative, in conjunction with the Belgian Government and the Ministry of Ecology, has been cleverly incorporated into the Act for Food campaign, which Carrefour aims to support and implement without overdoing it.
Jean-Marc Mégnin, Managing Director of Altavia Shoppermind