Intermarché: The Ugly Vegetable LOL

One morning in my Twitter TL (Timeline) I see Intermarché's new ad for ugly vegetables.

I laugh. I Fav (favorite the photo) and move on. And then I see that EVERYONE is talking about it ALL DAY. I don't understand. I tell myself I must have missed something, THE thing (yeah, probably). And then a short article with a small interview explains how great what Intermarché is doing is, how it limits waste, because waste is bad. I laugh again and tell myself that it's still extremely blatant for a supermarket chain that is, after all, used to wasting, to only choosing vegetables without soil, without defects, and with a perfect caliber. They make producers throw away a lot of merchandise precisely because their products don't meet the GMS (large and medium-sized stores) criteria.

And then a word appears in big letters in my little head (yes, in caps lock) GREENWASHING. But then I tell myself, "Ludivine, stop seeing evil everywhere" (yes, I often talk to myself using my first name, I like it). And yet, I can't do it, it's stronger than me.

Photo Credit Intermarché

I tell myself that this communication campaign that everyone is talking about (proof!!) strangely reminds me of the one done by certain cooperatives (from what I remember, Nouveaux Robinson and also Biocoop) (yes, I know because they sell Peau-Ethique so I see their ads, QED).

Photo Credit Biocoop

So the question is, is it a return to nature or a return to "oh-we're-not-bad"? I don't really know. But I'm not super keen. I find the campaign extremely well done, I won't lie, the message is very clear, but still.

I haven't forgotten that Intermarché participates in trawling and I have the impression that with this ugly vegetable thing, they're trying to lull us to sleep. YOU FAILED, GUYS.

Trawling is bad. REALLY. But hey, they don't care, the law doesn't forbid it. Conscience, on the other hand…

I bet (I would have been capable of saying "I gamble") that in a few years they will release a super cool, super beautiful campaign against deep-sea trawling, telling us how bad those who practice it are… I'm already laughing.

Otherwise, since we're not going to spend all day on Intermarché. If you want ugly and dirty vegetables, you go to an Amap (local farmers' association) and "Oh Surprise" they will also be seasonal (and local) (and often organic). If you don't have an Amap, go to the market.

(One day I'll talk about discosoupe but I've never tried it. And no, Saint-Etienne, that extra city, where it happened, I didn't know. Very possible. Or I have to go to Lyon. Yes, I'll do that and I'll meet love over a bowl of soup. Or not.)