Act for Food is the strategic and creative platform that drove the corporate transformation of Carrefour in ten countries: impacting the entire value chain of the company, from the way we create our products and negotiate our contracts with producers, to the way we approach customer service in stores.

The greatest challenge of the century is the ecological transition. But it won’t happen without a food transition. As conventional agriculture is the #1 cause of global warming and biodiversity loss. In addition to this heavy environmental cost, there are health and social consequences. Obesity is increasing. And the condition of farmers is more precarious than ever. 

There are also, unexpectedly, business costs. The distribution model based on price wars, low-quality food products at low prices, is becoming increasingly unprofitable for the players who set it up. As margins are getting lower and field yields keep declining. Obviously, everybody is losing. The planet, consumers, farmers and even retailers.

Challenge: As the inventor of the hypermarket in France, we have historically been part of the problem. We were tasked to accelerate the transformation of the company from a price war model to a food quality model, and establish ourselves as the responsible leader of the food transition for all in our ten countries.

Facing the challenge to transform the company from a price war model to a food quality model, we had to find a creative platform strong enough to transform the culture internally, and our public image.

No small feat when you’re a historic leader.

Carrefour suffered from the « big bad wolf syndrome ». As a leader, consumers associated Carrefour with everything that went wrong with the hypermarket model, starting with the standardization of our food system and agriculture. « When you’re big, you’re bad » You’re fighting for your revenue, at the expense of everything else.

The impact doesn’t stop at the consumer. This insidious idea, that Big = bad, prevented Carrefour from being able to truly reinvent and transform.

To win back consumers and employees, we reframed what it means to be a leader. Turning the leadership of Carrefour into a positive, putting our power at the service of bettering food.

ActforFood is a strategic and creative platform that led a deep transformation of Carrefour, as every one of our campaigns is an act for food.

Worldwide

Acts to:

-Change a European law to re-authorize the cultivation of farmers’ seeds, (the« BlackSupermarket »).

-Co-create with customers the largest vegetarian label.

-Co-create Loop, the first circular service for reusable packaging on e-commerce.

-Finance 60,000farmers in our agro-écology program.

-Remake our Carrefour label with the highest quality standards.

-Deploy blockchain technology for traceability and encourage clients to check product origin.

-Transform the way we negotiate shelf space with brands to encourage quality.

Nationally

Each country has its own acts, specific to local issues. Notable examples:

-In France, an act to finance the conversion of 2,000farmers to organic farming, an act to change the law and make video surveillance mandatory in slaughterhouses, an act to defend 100%French organic food.

-In Brazil, an act to fight against food price inflation by carving the prices in steel on our shelves.

-In China, an act for food safety.

Internally

We launched Act For Change, a program that gives every employee the opportunity to introduce new acts for Carrefour, from product creation to innovation on our production lines.

As it turns out, when you’re using the advertising budget to actually change things, you can do a lot.

Corporate impact: Our main goal was achieved as the creative idea of Act for Food succeeded in transforming the Carrefour company by putting CSR at the heart of its strategy, impacting its business strategy, products, services and operations, worldwide.

Impact for farmers, planet and health: We launched hundreds of Acts for Food in 10 countries. Notably contributing to change 2 laws on agricultural biodiversity (BlackSupermarket) and slaughterhouse video surveillance, fight against food price inflation in Brazil, convert 2,000 farmers to organic agriculture, finance 60,000 farmers in our agroecology program.

Behaviour impact: Our customers’ buying behaviour has changed as sales of fruits & vegetables worldwide rose by 5%, organic sales by 28%, vegetarian by 100%.

Image Impact: +8pt brand preference.

Business impact: Carrefour’s stock value increased by 9%. As worldwide sales rose by 3.1%, worldwide online sales boomed by 30%, and we became the leader in organic food in France.

Four years after, Act for Food is still the durable creative platform for Carrefour’s transformation worldwide. And the progress on food transition is published alongside the financial results in the annual report.