Design can help your health. This is what the French supermarket chain Auchan believes, which has opted for design and the use of color as a method to help boys and girls eat better and, thus, fight against childhood obesity. With “Le Choix des Couleurs” (The choice of colors) he aims to promote the adoption of a varied diet and raise awareness about healthier habits.

The company has created a fun and educational method with which it seeks to educate children in creating balanced meals. To do this, it has collaborated with the product designer Clémence Germain, who has created a tray and six containers, with different shapes and colors, to help shape various dishes.
The boxes evoke Auchan’s fresh produce departments (butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer, etc.) with their shapes and are designed to hold balanced portions of food.

The approach aims to turn the creation of meals, and also the purchasing of ingredients, into a game, a playful activity that invites boys and girls to have fun while learning about food. “A balanced, complete and varied diet is essential to ensure the healthy growth and development of children and contribute to their general well-being“, commented Laurent Francony, Executive Director of CSR and Quality at Auchan, in a statement. “As a key player in the retail sector, we have a role to play in addressing social and public health challenges related to food and our consumption habits.”.

The objective of the initiative is to combat the increase in childhood obesity in France. According to the company, referring to data from the French National Health Insurance, 20% of children between 6 and 17 years old are overweight and more than 5% are obese. The reasons for the increase can be found in different factors: on the one hand, the increase in the consumption of foods with higher fat content and in larger portions; and on the other, the greater exposure of children to ultra-processed foods.

In this sense, “Le Choix des Couleurs” is part of the supermarket chain’s commitment to helping consumers eat better. The initiative took shape in an action held on February 4 and 5 at the Auchan hypermarket in the town of Plaisir, near Paris. The children were able to create their own food trays with the corresponding colored boxes, choosing the foods in the store.

As part of the strategy, which has been worked on together with the TBWA agency, Auchan has created a series of characters that embody the different colored containers that are part of the tray. In this he has collaborated with the illustrator Alexandre Nart, and also with the singer-songwriter Aldebert to create an original song that includes the keys to the method.

He has also complemented the creation of the tray with educational organic content. In a web section dedicated to the project, it provides a simple explanation of the method and design of the tray; while on social networks it has offered information of interest about products, food and healthy habits.

Seeking a greater reach, Auchan has collaborated with media specialized in both food, family life and parenting education, as well as with content creators and influencers in those same categories. These have been in charge of publicizing the project and transmitting the methodology developed by Auchan. They have also held raffles for trays.

Auchan assures in a statement that its intention is to extend the activity to other of its stores. He also points out that he wants to actively participate in the collective debate, together with public authorities and interested parties committed to this problem, to find solutions and take concrete measures. In this sense, the company’s collaboration with other institutions could be expected to expand the scope of the method.

More info.: Le Choix des Couleurs