One in two French people would like to have a greater choice of local products, but not all departments are equal, according to a note from the Jean Jaurès foundation.
Breton pancakes, Alsatian sauerkraut, Espelette pepper… France is full of regional specialties, which the French love. The country can thus be divided into 31 “consumption basins” distinct, according to the note of the Jean Jaurès foundation. The regions that consume the most local products are unsurprisingly Brittany and Alsace, with their own products and brands such as Alsatian pasta Valfleuri or Breton soda Breizh cola. The Bas-Rhin department is even the champion with a consumption of local products equal to 8%. The North, Savoy and the Basque Country are also “basins with a very strong identity».
This specificity would be linked to the geographical location of these regions, located in “peripheryof the country, according to the Jean Jaurès foundation. They escape the influence of the capital, and also benefit from a certain cultural mix with neighboring countries. Unlike other departments such as Oise in Hauts-de-France, bordering the Paris region, which consumes less than 1% of local brands.
This division of France, according to the “consumption basins“, is similar to that of before the Revolution, notes the Jean Jaurès Foundation, which emphasizes that “the local is a matter of a sense of belonging much more than administrative decisions“. The Alsatian region has also created its Alsace brand with partner companies and numerous referenced products. In the West, more than 3,500 products bear the “Products in Brittany», a brand present in five departments.
The local, “a lever for reindustrialization”
One out of two French people would likehave a wider choice of local productsunderlines the note. The pandemic has indeed accelerated this trend with the debates around relocation. The room then appears as “a safe haven», «trust and proximityfor all consumers. There are several reasons for buying brands produced close to home: issues of good citizenship, product quality and provenance.
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The French generally buy few local products. In supermarkets, so-called local brands represent only 2% of product turnover. It is in the beer and cider department that they weigh the most. One of the reasons mentioned: prices generally above the market, aggravated by inflationary tensions.
Regions with a strong agricultural and industrial fabric have a better chance of developing powerful brands. The local is indeed pointed as “a lever for reindustrialization“. And even if no causal link has been proven, the local champion regions are those that attract the most French people, looking for “of greater harmonywith their environment.