Already reassembled by the shortage of mustard, Internet users see it as proof of speculation on condiments by Carrefour. A viral video on social networks, presented as shot by an employee or service provider, accuses Carrefour of withholding stock. The most suspicious suspect the brand of being the cause of the shortage on the shelves in order to cause price inflation. Did Carrefour really stock mustard in full shortage? We take stock.
What you may have read or seen
“We have orders to store them”, exclaims this alleged delivery man from the Carrefour brand in a video posted on Facebook then taken up on Twitter. In these images shot in what looks like a warehouse, we see several pallets of jars of Dijon mustard wrapped in cellophane. For several weeks now, consumers have been complaining about the absence of this condiment on the shelves of supermarkets and grocery stores. The sequence therefore arouses strong reactions. So many invectives that allowed the rise of the hashtag (keyword) #BoycottCarrefour on social networks.
The original post garnered over 16,000 shares on Facebook in just two days, while another posted on Twitter racked up over 600,000 views before being deleted by the account. @leconvoidelalib. Without a response from its author, it is currently impossible to authenticate the video.
What Carrefour answers
Carrefour’s reaction was not long in coming, only a few hours after the publication of the video, the supermarket chain firmly denies it on the networks. The group’s press director, Frédérique Bayre, assures that Carrefour “is doing its utmost to get the goods to the shelves”.
In addition, the brand recognizes the existence of a global shortage, as many Internet users deplore. A depletion of stocks which is explained by various reasons.
The origins of the shortage
It is the intersection of several environmental and political factors that are at the origin of the shortage. First of all, the majority of mustard seeds are grown in Canada. France, country of the famous Dijon mustard, imports 80%. However, according to the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture, over the years 2021-2022, harvests have fallen by 30%, exports have therefore been limited.
VIDEO. Climate change: Dijon mustard in danger
Impossible to fall back on France, the production of mustard seeds fell by 50% after the cold snap of spring 2021. Another problem, Ukraine could have come to the rescue of French manufacturers but the current context does not allow to count on the granary of Europe. As a result, according to a study by the specialized institute IRI, the price of a jar of mustard has increased by 9% over one year.