477 euros. In times of inflation, this is the minimum amount that a family of two adults and two children must pay each month for a healthy diet, according to the association Familles Rurales, which is based on the recommendations of the National Nutrition and Health Plan.
In its annual Price Observatory published today, Rural Families estimates that this amount is almost 65 euros higher than what families living at the poverty line can afford. Hence the idea, relayed in a letter to the Minister of Health François Braun, to pay a specific allowance to the most modest households. Its annual cost is calculated at 7.2 billion euros, which the association compares with “20 billion euros spent treating pathologies that could be avoided” by eating healthier.
8.3% increase in healthy products
In a context where food inflation exceeded 12% over one year in 2022, having a balanced diet also makes it possible to pay less, underlines Rural Families, according to which the increase in the prices of healthy products was limited to 8.3 %. “The explanation is due in particular to the fact that the healthiest products for our health are generally the least processed foods and whose production requires fewer intermediaries”, specifies Famille Rurales in its study.
Among the seven categories of products selected, pulses (+3.8%) experienced the lowest inflation and fats (+12.9%) the highest price increases. Cereal and starchy products rose by 11.2%, the price of fruit and vegetables rose by 10.7%.
Inflation caused the minimum amount of the food budget for a family of four to rise by 27 euros in 2022, to 477 euros per month against 450 in 2021. The survey was carried out over four periods (February, April, June and October 2022) in 134 stores by a team of 98 “consumption watchdogs” in 37 departments. The readings covered 85 everyday consumer products.