FOOD CHECK. Long hoped for, the food check will not see the light of day before 2023, as confirmed by Budget Minister Gabriel Attal.
[Mis à jour le 13 juin 2022 à 09h07] The first round of the legislative elections somewhat eclipsed the various hot topics related to the purchasing power of French people this weekend, but the question of the food check is still worrying. And for cause, this campaign promise of Emmanuel Macron will not finally see the light of day, for lack of clarity in its implementation, and of selected products. The government still wants to allow the most disadvantaged and on modest incomes to consume, healthy, organic, French while favoring short circuits, but the implementation of this food check is still a problem. “It’s quite complicated technically to be able to have aid that targets certain products in certain places. We hope to be able to present this measure in 2023″ declared Gabriel Attal, Minister of the Budget last week. The food voucher will therefore not see the light of day before the first quarter of 2023, at least, the time to dust off a measure which seems to give a lot of trouble on the side of the executive.
Presented as one of the government’s flagship measures, the food voucher was to be part of the purchasing power bill presented “after the legislative elections” as recalled Olivier Veran, Thursday, June 9 on the set of the program “France 2022” on France2. The Minister of Economy Bruno the Mayor was still skeptical last week about the possible implementation of this aid device: “Giving public money to pay for food products that were made outside of France doesn’t really interest me. Today, we did not solve the problem“. Pending a miracle solution, the energy check is therefore replaced by inflation aid of 150 euros! Paid directly into the bank account of the beneficiaries in one go from the start of the 2022 school year, this new inflation check is very similar to the former inflation bonus of 100 euros but should be more targeted.
To fight against the general increase in consumer prices, and in particular food prices, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced the creation of aid paid directly into the bank account of beneficiaries, from the start of the 2022 school year. information is not yet known, but the scheme could well resemble the old inflation bonus of 100 euros introduced by Emmanuel Macron. “Faced with inflation, this will be aid paid directly into the bank account, all at once, naturally taking into account the number of children in the family.” declared Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Tuesday, June 7. Easier to set up, this inflation aid should therefore replace the energy check promised by Emmanuel Macron for several months, and put back in the closet a few days before the first round of the legislative elections.
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.
The amount of the food check is not yet known. For the time being, only the deputy for Paris, Mounir Mahjoubi, has presented a quantified proposal, with a check whose price would be between 30 and 60 euro per month per family. “The total budget could then rise from a few hundred million to two billion euros,” said the deputy in February 2021 to 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.
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 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.