31 days veggie

March is all about the VeggieChallenge again this year: putting plant-based food on the menu for a month (more often). Colruyt Group supports this initiative of ProVeg. Why and how? And how can you join in?

Together

A protein shift on our plate

“Our commitment to the VeggieChallenge is our contribution to the Green Deal 'Protein Shift on our plates’”, Caroline Vandeputte of R&D&I Food says. “It's an agreement between the Flemish government, Bio-Planet, OKay, Colruyt, SmartWithFood, Solucious and several other partners whereby we aim for a ratio of 60 % vegetable and 40 % animal protein products on our plates by 2030. In the last Belgian food consumption survey in 2014 this was the other way around.

That's why within the Protein transition steering committee we determine specific objectives and commitments, guide joint actions, analyse evolutions, etc. It's not straightforward, but the group is very enthusiastic and we're on the right track.”

“We don't want to tell customers they need to follow a vegetarian diet, but we do want to encourage them to eat less meat and fish. Not only is this part of a balanced diet, it's also more ecological. because animal products have a much bigger environmental footprint.”

You're

33,000 workers eat vegetarian food for a month

62,700 trips from Brussels to Antwerp less CO2

3 Use the ‘veggie’ search filter on collectandgo.be or the labels on our products

3 Find inspiration for recipes in recipe books (at the library), online, in our folders, etc. Or during a Colruyt Group Academy workshop.

3 Taste and discover that a dish without meat can also be delicious.

• At the food truck at Wilgenveld on Thursday 23 February.

• In different canteens of our group. Every Thursday afternoon of March at Wilgenveld.

3 Plan! If there's a lot of great looking meat dishes, think in advance about which alternative you can choose. This helps you stay away from temptation. Going to a restaurant? Look for places with a vegetarian offer.

3 Small steps. Start by eating less meat: one meal a week, or a smaller piece and something else instead.

For the second year in a row Bio-Planet, Collect&Go, Colruyt Group Academy, Colruyt Lowest Prices, OKay, Solucious and Spar are our main partners of the VeggieChallenge. By encouraging more people to eat plant-based food, we contribute to a better environment and a better health, step by step.

38,280,000 showers saved in terms of water

66,000 animal lives saved

Good for your health: less risk of

• high cholesterol

• obesity

“Getting people to taste makes it easier”

“We notice that customers want to introduce meatfree days more often but aren't always sure how to do that”, Tom Segers, product group manager Vegetarian at Colruyt Lowest Prices, says. “We want to inspire and encourage them during the VeggieChallenge. In recent years, we've doubled our assortment of meat substitutes, but market research shows that our customers don't know that it's so varied now. High time to let them find out.”

“Both online and in our stores and in our folder, the initiative receives the necessary attention. In this way, we provide in-store communication material, promotions and more vegetarian recipes. Like last year, we're not limiting our focus to 'typical' meat substitutes but are also highlighting other plantbased segments: vegetables, plant-based dairy products, nuts and legumes. The tasting sessions really help. By allowing customers and workers to sample our wares, we remove an important barrier. Successfully so: March 2022 was our best ever in terms of sales of vegetarian product.”

In Nelle's family

“Cooking vegetarian food to encourage others”

“In March, my family and I only eat vegetarian food”, Nelle Thyssen, sustainable packaging expert, says. “Not the easiest challenge, but a fun one. This is the third time we're taking part. We do it because it's good for the environment and lets us discover new dishes. And we generally have more vegetarian meals the rest of the year as well. Even my husband who loves meat. (laughs) And you know what I still find difficult? Charcuterie! We try to use as little packaging as possible. However, veggie spreads are nearly always packaged and often they're artificial meat substitutes. Cheese is a good alternative, or I'll make something myself. Snacks at parties can also be an issue. You're eating meat almost without realising it. It's unfortunate that veggie often look less appealing than the alternatives with meat. By cooking vegetarian food for friends and family, I want to encourage them to cut out meat from time to time. A real step forward at work is that we now order vegetarian lunches for the whole team at events by default. A practical - some people are vegetarians - and simple initiative. Highly recommended!”

First-aid is something you can learn

Despite all the safety procedures sometimes things go wrong. There's always a human factor, which means there is always a risk of an accident. That's why our company has 479 first-aiders to help colleagues in case of an emergency situation. Most of them are trained by Petra Vanwildemeersch.

“I've been doing this for 34 years now and have trained almost 2,000 first aiders at our logistics sites and support services. I train people – together with an external partner – in our training classroom at Brukom in Halle, in Mechelen and Ghislenghien. All workers are able to follow a first-aid introduction course. And anyone who commits to becoming a first-aider receives 3.5 days of training in paid time and 4 hours of refresher training annually: partly digital through game-based learning, partly in practice. Bandages or CPR are hands-on.”

“We teach many basic techniques, both for minor accidents and for more serious ones. Because it's always useful to be able to administer first aid before professional firstaid responders arrive on the scene. This ranges from how to approach and move a victim, to taking blood pressure, dressing wounds or performing CPR. Cuts from cutter knives or cardboard boxes are common injuries. Fortunately, CPR is less common, but has been necessary. CPR is practised on a manikin. In fact, everyone should be able to perform CPR:it can save lives!”

"It has been agreed that every injured person must go to the first-aid station, if possible. If that's not possible due to the severity of the injury, we get our red case. This case contains gloves for our own safety, material to stop serious bleeding and cover fractures, a medical certificate, etc. The standard materials include disinfectants, bandages and ointments ... but no medication. First-aiders no longer have pills for headaches, sore throats, diarrhoea or stomach problems. They might be able to get you a can of cola. Because sometimes all you need is some sugar …”