FOOD CHECK. The creation of the food check is once again postponed. Its implementation should be discussed in October when addressing the finance law.
[Mis à jour le 22 juin 2022 à 09h03] This is a new blow for the most modest French people, the food check will not see the light of day before the end of 2022, at least. It “rather will come around October or November in the finance bill” declared Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture at the microphone of France Info this Monday, June 20. In reality, the contours of the food check will only be debated, but its start could even be postponed to 2023. For the time being, the government prefers a new inflation bonus, simpler to set up.
The food check would concern up to 10 million people in France. The discussions have certainly begun, but the most modest have still not seen the color of this exceptional aid, in the small papers since the end of 2020. “We must bring together farmers, producers, the various sectors. There is also the question of the environmental impact of this or that product.” affirmed Marc Fesneau. Regarding the beneficiaries, students and 18-25 year olds could be favored by the executive, in the same way as the modest and middle classes. Finally, low-wage families with dependent children could also benefit of this new device. The food check does not seem to be one of the priorities of the executive after having lost the absolute majority in the National Assembly, it will be necessary to wait several more months before knowing the exact methods of payment, and the exact beneficiaries.
The payment of the food check was planned for the start of the 2022 school year, but its implementation proved to be more complex than expected for the executive. Budget Minister Gabriel Attal “hopes to be able to present this measure in 2023”. For the time being, no precise date has been communicated, and the food check is replaced in 2022 by a new inflation bonus of 150 euros, paid at the start of the 2022 school year.
The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau gave him a period: “October-November”. However, this period simply corresponds to the debates concerning the finance law. The food voucher should therefore not see the light of day before the end of 2022. The hypothesis of the first quarter of 2023 is, for the time being, more plausible.
If Emmanuel Macron is re-elected and sets up this new aid, the food check should be a device aimed at the most deprived people. Emmanuel Macron spoke of “lower classes” and “middle classes” at France Bleu on March 22, 2022. What will be the criteria? Will there be a reference tax income threshold not to be exceeded? For the moment, these questions have not yet been arbitrated. At this stage, several leads are on the table. In 2021, the Ministry of the Economy defended the idea that the system be entrusted to the municipal centers for social action (CCAS), thus targeting 5 million beneficiaries, a track also presented by the citizens of the Citizens’ Convention in their report.
The Minister of Agriculture, he leaned more towards aid for “young people or families with children on low incomes”, in the form of a check or card. The idea is also carried by the deputy of Paris, Mounir Mahjoubi, who defends a project close to that of Julien Denormandie.
The amount of the food check is not yet known but should be between 100 and 150 euros. “The total budget could then rise from a few hundred million to two billion euros,” said MP Mounir Mahjoubi in February 2021 in Ouest-France. “Afterwards, this will come into confrontation with other proposals, such as specific allocations for the Covid period. This is the whole subject of the discussions which are taking place at governmental level”, he added then. The powerful agricultural union FNSEA offers a device that would allow you to spend 5 euros a day. Invited by Jean-Jacques Bourdin on April 21, 2021, Julien Denormandie had advanced the amount of 50 euros per month.
The Family Allowance Fund does not currently allocate food vouchers nationwide but could be the body responsible for this system, linked to the social aid it already pays. At the local level, certain food aid schemes can already be put in place. It is advisable to contact the social action department of your fund. On its dedicated site, the Caf de Saône-et-Loire notably highlighted the implementation of one-off aid in April 2020, in order to help the most deprived to buy basic food products. The device was then aimed at recipients of family benefits, APL, RSA and the activity bonus.
The priority of Emmanuel Macron and his government is fruit and vegetables. And French if possible, from short circuits, and organic! Products qualified as “healthy”. This food voucher could be used in the supermarket or on the stalls of your local markets.