Fruitbox speaks to Steven Roberts and Annelies Blaauwkamer of Rijk Zwaan, founders of the Love My Salad campaign, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in August.

Designed as a way to inspire and engage with consumers in an age of social media, Love My Salad has aimed to build up a positive image of vegetables among consumers, rather than building a more traditional message around the idea that doing so should be compulsory.

The project now operates in more than 20 countries worldwide as well as 14 different languages, encouraging more than 4m people every year to see vegetables differently and be inspired to eat more of them as a result.

“We wanted to create a positive image for vegetables, a place where people could share knowledge and inspiration, and essentially create, share and enjoy them every day,” says Roberts.

As Blaauwkamer explains, the public perception of vegetables has changed very much for the better in the past ten years. “Food consumption in general is changing and I think vegetables can benefit from this,” she comments. “We still have a long way to go, but I think these developments are really positive.”

During the conversation, Steven and Annelies talk about the marketing work they have done to connect with chefs, bloggers, growers and consumers, as well as outlining their plans for the campaign’s future development through a new startup accelerator programme.

Hosted by Chris White in London, Fruitbox now attracts a big audience across the global fruit and vegetable business that tunes in twice a week to hear exclusive interviews and expert analysis.

Produced by Fruitnet Media International, the show is essential listening for everyone in the fresh produce industry.

Episode 34 of Fruitbox is sponsored by Rijk Zwaan.

To find out how you can tell your story on Fruitbox, emailchris@fruitnet.com.

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