Bord Bia, CNIPT, Europatat and VLAM join forces to promote the consumption of fresh potatoes among European millennials

CNIPT, Bord Bia, Europatat and VLAM have launched an inspiring campaign under the title:

“Potatoes, prepare to be surprised – Europe’s favourite since 1536.”

The joint initiative, which is co-financed by the European Commission under the EU Promotion policy, will run from January 2020 to December 2022 and will encourage the consumption of fresh potatoes among millennials in Flanders (Belgium), France and Ireland. Young consumers in other EU countries will also be reached thanks to the translation of recipes into Italian, German, Spanish and Polish.

Fresh potatoes remain Europe's most popular main meal carbohydrate and are deeply anchored in the food habits of the European Union, however nowadays they face two main obstacles: a long-term decrease in their consumption; and a stagnation of their image as a traditional food.

This trend has led to a decrease of potato consumption among the different age groups, especially in people between 18 and 34 year old living on their own, co-habiting or with young families (the so-called millennials or Generation Y).

To slow down this consumption trend, the strategy of the campaign will be to put fresh potatoes back in the minds and lives of millennials.

The campaign’s backbone will be Instagram, where surprising and exotic potato recipes will be combined in a modern way to tease millennials to prepare them. Other social media channels such as Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube will be also used to provide tips and tricks on how to easily integrate potatoes into millennials’ daily lifestyle and to inform them on the health benefits of this loved European food.

Finally, all the recipes will be compiled in a common website where the element of surprise, which is the central element of the campaign, will be also prominent.