Ignasi Argilés, Director of Production and Trade at Grupo Nufri, and Xavi Navarro, responsible for fresh product buying at Supermercats Pujol, have presented the campaign "Nobody is perfect" against food waste. The campaign seeks to vindicate the value of an important volume of apples of the Fuji variety with imperfections in the skin, which actually preserve the flavour intact and are thus suitable for sale.
Nufri has reached an agreement with the supermarket chain Plusfrec for the marketing of bags of two kilos of Fuji apples with the logo of the campaign from this month of May until the end of July. The fruit will be sold at a slightly lower price than other items thanks, in part, to the chosen presentation (2 kilo bag), which makes it possible to reduce costs in the value chain in storage and distribution.
"The goal of the initiative is to promote the values of the campaign amongst consumers and improve prices for the grower. We are also working to extend this campaign to other chains with stores nationwide, which we have already spoken to and have been receptive," affirms Argilés.
Fuji apples are one of the most appreciated by consumers because of their crunchiness and sweetness, but they are also one of the most sensitive to the cracking of the skin. The adverse climatic conditions of the last campaign had a notable impact on both the flowering and the setting, which resulted in an uneven harvest and apples with skin defects.
Xavi Navarro has confirmed the chain's total involvement with the initiative, which is in line with the policy of the company that, for years, has been committed to supporting the local production and growers.
"We are working with a natural product that grows and develops in conditions that cannot be fully controlled," explains Argilés "and this initiative, already carried out for years in other countries, not only goes in line with values that current consumers support, such as the prevention of food waste, but also helps us to positively value the work of our producers."
The slogan chosen for the campaign, "Nobody is perfect", aims to highlight the fact that a visual imperfection does not alter the extremely sweet content of the fruit and plays with the idea that "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover." The campaign also places emphasis on the origin of the fruit: 100% local, and on its great flavour.
The initiative has received a favourable response from several chains that will sell these bags in their stores. A total of 500,000 bags (1 million kilos of Fuji apples) will go on sale under the initiative "Nobody is perfect".
Once the campaign is over, and in order to give more strength to the project and support other initiatives that fight for the prevention of food waste, the Nufri Group will invest more than 3,000 Euro to an agricultural project that Manos Unidas has in Cameroon.
The heads of Manos Unidas in the diocese of Solsona and Lleida, Àngel Alsina, Maria Aurora Aubach and Paquita Deltell, have attended the event to support the initiative and are said to be satisfied with the collaboration. Maria Aurora Aubach recalled how "despite the hunger in the world, a third of the food production ends up in the trash can."
More information:
Montse Corderroure, Head of Communication
Afrucat
Tel. +34 695551237