Carrefour is launching a new scheme to support French producers and encourage people to buy fruit and vegetables without their purchasing power being affected. Starting Wednesday 29 June and throughout the summer, Carrefour will be giving priority to selling fruit and vegetables grown in France in all its stores.

An innovative scheme to support French fruit and vegetable producers
With French producers experiencing difficulties in this tough economic climate, Carrefour has decided to give priority to fruit and vegetables grown in France in all its Carrefour and Carrefour Market stores. Nearly 90% of all seasonal fruit and vegetables on sale in the stores will be of French origin, the aim being to encourage consumers to buy produce grown in France, and to give a boost to fruit and vegetable consumption. Special signage will be used (a red, white and blue flag) to draw attention to these products.

Through this scheme, Carrefour is giving more support than ever before to French farmers, while paying close heed to consumer needs in terms of their purchasing power. In order to support this operation, from 29 June to 2 July, the banner will be offering all its customers discount vouchers to encourage them to buy fruit and vegetables (€3 off for every €15 worth of French-grown fruit and vegetables purchased).

Carrefour, a retailer that has been working closely alongside French farmers for many years
Carrefour has always sought to encourage the sale of French fruit and vegetables in its stores. For example, in 2010, of the 950,000 tonnes sold in its stores, 77% of the seasonal fruit and vegetables that could be produced in France was of French origin.

Many initiatives have been implemented over the years to support French fruit and vegetable producers. In 1997, Carrefour launched the first Quality Commitment Product Lines with carrots, leeks and potatoes. Carrefour's Quality Commitment lines are evidence of long-term partnerships, the idea being to create long-lasting relationships with producers and maintain local activity. So far, 1300 producers of fruit and vegetables have joined Carrefour's Quality Commitment lines. This also serves as a guarantee for consumers who know that they are buying high-quality products at fair prices.

In 2006, Carrefour set up the "Carrefour Guaranteed Partnership”, an early form of contracting agreement.
This partnership, set up to enable French producers to maintain their business in the long term, provides them with a guaranteed volume of orders per year through commitments made upstream of campaigns. It also provides them with support in the event of their producing too much.
In 2011, more than 400,000 tonnes of produce were covered by this partnership with nearly 500 groups of French producers.