French Supermarket Launches Vegetarian Line

France’s second largest supermarket—and the fourth largest retailer in the world behind Costco, Walmart, and Tesco—recently launched a private label vegetarian line of 16 products, 11 of which are vegan. Two years ago, the supermarket launched the “If I were Carrefour…” social media campaign, and through customer comments ascertained an interest in vegetarian meals. When compared to the rest of Europe, food analyst Raphael Moreau points out that France has “strong growth potential” in the vegetarian market. According to Food-Navigator, Carrefour is banking on the existing opportunity to expand vegetarian products from niche sections of the supermarket with its privately labeled line. The supermarket collaborated with the Vegetarian Association of France to create the line, which is free of palm oil and preservatives. Moreau believes that Carrefour’s actions may inspire similar retailers “to see growth opportunities in adopting a similar positioning.”