"Fruit and vegetables have never been such a star product," explains Nicolas Gandrillon, director of Les Gros Mots agency. "They can be found in shampoos, beauty creams, and even at Fashion Week. Yet, the younger generation still eats very little fresh fruit and vegetables (4x less than older generations). At a time when consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables is stagnating or even decreasing, what can communication do to help?"
At medFEL 2025, Olivier Masbou, associate journalist Socopag Press Agency, with Anouk Plantevin, head of social media and influence at Wonderful, Nicolas Gandrillon of Les Gros Mots agency, and Olivier Lemouzy, deputy chairman of Interfel's communication commission, were brought together for the round table: Does communication support consumption?
From injunction to the pleasure of eating
The observation today is that communication about fruit and vegetables is structured solely by injunctions, rather than being focused on pleasure. Parents tell their children to "finish their soup and eat their vegetables." The government advises people to "eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day." This observation is shared by Olivier Lemouzy, deputy chairman of Interfel's communication committee. "For years, communication has been rather obsolete. After COVID, we realized that we needed to change the message. Fruit and vegetables have a sympathetic appeal that had eluded us, and we were no longer communicating about the pleasure of eating them."
Making fruit and vegetables glamorous
Young people are therefore under-consumers. One reason for this is the price of fruit and vegetables, and another is the way they are used. "Those who consume the most are over 60 years old, but this target group has already been won over. We need to attract the consumers who are between 25 and 45 years old," explains Olivier Lemouzy. To do so, we need to "adopt their codes and make fresh fruit and vegetables cool, glamorous and, above all, Instagrammable," explains Nicolas Gandrillon, "because young people like to take photos of what they eat and post them on social networks."
The diversity of fruit and vegetables: from hindrance to opportunity
"Fresh fruit and vegetables have not been marketed properly. No brand could structure such a wide range," explains Nicolas Gandrillon. Faced with such a heterogeneous range, "we have to do some real advertising and make a choice (the famous USP, or unique selling proposition). At the outset, this diversity of fruit and vegetables could be an obstacle. How to advertise over 80 products? The solution is to look for the common denominator, "and ultimately, the weakness will become a strength, because we will highlight the diversity of the offer." This diversity is already well understood by supermarkets. "Fifteen years ago, fruit and vegetable sections were relegated to the back of the shop, but now they are placed at the front of the shop because it is the liveliest and most colorful section." Spreading out the diversity of the offer to show that we cater for everyone (meat-eaters, vegetarians, small or large eaters, sweet and savory lovers...). "We are going to play with the mirror effect of societal diversity: fruit and vegetables are as diverse as society itself: a society that takes responsibility for itself, that refuses to be dictated to and that does not judge but opens its arms to diversity."
The Jamais Trop campaign in the Paris metro
The birth of Jamais Trop: A disruptive campaign
In 2022, Interfel launched its Jamais trop (Never Too Much) campaign. It is an innovative campaign that breaks away from traditional communications about fruit and vegetables. The strength of this new campaign lies in its use of current social codes. In short, "a campaign that speaks to everyone, that everyone can identify with," explains Anouk Plantevain. The cover of Depeche Mode's famous hit "Just Can't Get Enough" is accompanied by a series of portraits that reflect society as a whole. The slogan "Fresh fruit and vegetables are never too much" is followed by messages such as "never too hairy", "never too tender", "never too ripe", "never too colorful"... The sector has put in place a major advertising campaign including TV ads, posters in train stations, metro stations, in the street, and on social networks.
Never Too Mixed campaign
The Jamais Trop Mixte (Never Too Mixed) campaign puts fruit and vegetables on the menu, with slogans such as "Between the cheese and the charcuterie, we cut the pear in half." The Jamais Trop Fière (Never Too Proud) campaign for Pride Month, and the Jamais Trop Tarte (Never too Pie) campaign, which puts pies in the spotlight and finds the simplest ways for young people to eat them. "You make a big deal of fresh fruit and vegetables, but pies are a piece of cake."
Visuals from the Jamais Trop Tarte campaign
Communication must also take place on the ground
This communication campaign must extend to the supermarket shelves in order to make the product more attractive. "We are targeting everyday life." An arch and a totem pole will be placed at the entrance of around 15 shops. "Every time there is an event in the store, we see an increase in fruit and vegetable sales." The Food Truck tour will also be present at festivals throughout France, offering free events and tastings.
Right: the Interfel Food Truck
New Never Too Much campaign in 2025
This year, Interfel has gone back to its modern, offbeat approach with part 2 of the Jamais Trop campaign. This new ad, still accompanied by Depeche Mode's hit "Just Can't Get Enough," was produced in a vertical format so that it can be viewed from phones on social networks. According to Anouk Plantevain, there is a significant difference between the 1st and 2nd versions, the latter being "really targeted at the younger generation."