Montreal, August 15, 2019 – The Quebec Produce Marketing Association (QPMA) is delighted to announce that a celebrity chef will serve as chef ambassador for the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement. Chef Hugo Saint-Jacques will share his culinary creativity and infectious enthusiasm to benefit the Movement by promoting fruits and vegetables in ways that are enticing and easy for anyone to prepare and enjoy.
Montreal, August 15, 2019 – The Quebec Produce Marketing Association (QPMA) is delighted to announce that a celebrity chef will serve as chef ambassador for the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement. Chef Hugo Saint-Jacques will share his culinary creativity and infectious enthusiasm to benefit the Movement by promoting fruits and vegetables in ways that are enticing and easy for anyone to prepare and enjoy.
Hugo is a devoted, charismatic chef who first made his name on the Les Chefs! television show in 2010, returning in 2014 for a special featuring the favourite chefs from the series all together in one show. He’s now executive chef at Dock619 and a regular contributor on the Salut Bonjour Week-end show. This coming fall, Quebecers will have the chance to see him star in his own show, Hugo Express, on Zeste.tv.
Having a well-known chef involved will definitely increase awareness for the Movement. Hugo will contribute his expertise in developing recipes created to make fruits and vegetables the centrepiece at mealtimes in Quebec. The new Canada’s Food Guide, published in February, recommends that fruits and vegetables should now take up half the plate. Hugo Saint-Jacques will help consumers achieve this objective of increasing the space fruits and vegetables take on their plates for more enjoyment and for better health, too.
Hugo also plans to become a fruits and vegetables ambassador to the community of chefs in Quebec and hopes to encourage them to join the Movement. Chefs have a significant influence on eating habits in Quebec. We believe that any trend where chefs make fruits and vegetables the centrepiece of the meal would generate public interest for doing the same. In the meantime, Hugo will be sharing his culinary knowledge in blogs and on videoclips available on the Movement’s website and Facebook page. He will also take part in an exciting array of promotional events.
With a history spanning more than 15 years of promoting fruit and vegetable consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle, the QPMA launched the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement in August 2018 to rally health professionals, nutritionists, the educational community, and other partners around a single message: “The pleasure and benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables.” This synergy is designed to attract wide public support for the Movement. What a celebrity chef says and does generally inspires people to do a lot more cooking at home.
Fruits and vegetables: the best investment in health, the economy, and the environment
The work in raising awareness of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables still has a long way to go. A little over half of all Quebecers still consume less than the equivalent of five servings a day, according to an economic impact study on Quebec’s fruit and vegetable industry unveiled by the QPMA last year. The study also shows that an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption would lead to a noticeable reduction in chronic disease and to considerable savings in healthcare costs.
If half of all Quebecers consumed the minimum number of servings recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada, approximately 100,000 cases of illness would be prevented, and the healthcare system would save nearly $720 million between now and 2035. Besides being an investment in public health and the economy, eating more vegetables is also a way of contributing to sustainable development and supporting our shared hope for a healthier planet.
The QPMA – An essential partner in promoting healthy lifestyles for all Quebecers
The QPMA is proud to be recognized as a major public health partner, playing a leadership role in helping Quebecers adopt healthy lifestyles by integrating more plant-based foods into their daily diet, and by providing a wide variety of tools, advice, and resources for this purpose.
Quotation
“We’ve been looking for a chef with a real passion for produce and the amazing discoveries to be made in the world of fruits and vegetables for quite some time. With Hugo Saint-Jacques, we’re confident that the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement will reach even greater heights. His talent for explaining will certainly demystify many unfamiliar fruits and vegetables and inspire Quebec consumers to find a place on their plates to enjoy them. We’re proud to have Hugo working with our spokesperson, Julie DesGroseilliers. Together, they’ll make a dynamic duo to encourage Quebecers to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables. We know that many consumers still find it a challenge to prepare and enjoy fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. We want to continue our educational efforts in showing them how and contributing to a healthier Quebec in the process.” – Sophie Perreault, QPMA President and CEO
About the QPMA
Founded, in 1947, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association is a non-profit organization that brings together active members from every sector of the fruit and vegetable industry, working in close synergy with them and with its various industry partners. Its mission is to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption and promote activities in the produce sector.
About the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement
Launched by the QPMA, the I Love Fruits and Veggies Movement is a follow-up to the “I love 5 to 10 servings a day” campaign. In both cases, the objective is to raise public awareness of the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle. For more information, please go to jaimefruitsetlegumes.ca and follow us on social media.
I Love Fruits and Veggies 
QPMA
Information:
Mario Lalancette, Dt.P. | Nutritionist | Director, Strategy and Communications
514-355-4330, extension 225 | mlalancette@aqdfl.ca
