Ahold Delhaize Launches ‘Junk Fruit’ Initiative

With a mission to increase consumers’ consumption of fruit, Ahold Delhaize recently launched a new initiative designed to encourage customers to opt for “junk fruit” over junk food.

Using findings from its Red Table initiatives—which gather input from customers to offer solutions to their daily food challenges—the Zaandam, Netherlands-based retailer determined that, while customers enjoy the taste of fruit, they find it difficult to eat. Just 9% of the Belgian population consumes the recommended amount of 250 grams of fruit daily, according to the retailer.

Unlike many vegetables, most fruit must be peeled or cut before consumption, making it an inconvenient snack or meal component. To overcome this barrier, Ahold’s Belgian brand has introduced a line of fruit that can be easily eaten on the go.

For two weeks beginning Aug. 21, the retailer is offering Junk Fruit snacks in the produce section of every Delhaize store, featuring promotional pricing on Junk Fruit and other fruit products in the store.

The Junk Fruit promotion serves as an extension of Ahold’s ongoing healthy lifestyle initiative, which includes its "magic vegetables" promotion and the reformulation of products to reduce sugar or salt, or increase fiber.

The retailer’s healthy initiatives are designed to make its customers' food experiences more convenient, more tasteful and more balanced, the company said in a statement, emphasizing that it’s “helping customers to eat better and make a big difference in their lives without requiring them to make drastic lifestyle changes.”

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