2023-11-13 17:13:27
Change in sight for restaurant voucher users. From January 1, 2024, it will no longer be possible to purchase non-consumable products directly with meal vouchers in supermarkets. This was an exemption that came into force in October 2022 in order to improve the purchasing power of the French. It ends on December 31, 2023, as recalled the website of the Ministry of the Economy. So no more products like pasta, rice, butter, meat, fish… In short, anything that requires preparation and is not edible upon purchase. The same goes for non-food products.
“Until December 31, 2023, restaurant vouchers can be used to pay for all or part of the price of any food product, whether or not it is directly consumable (meat, starchy foods, frozen products to cook, etc.) in accordance with in article 6 of the law for the protection of purchasing power”, explains the government website.
Questioned by Le Parisien, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), responsible for the issue, confirmed that “if nothing changes, this exemption will expire on December 31”. But “nothing has been arbitrated” as it stands regarding a possible extension of the measure. “This had distorted the very function of restaurant vouchers,” admits the ministry. On the other hand, the ceiling of 25 euros per day – which had been increased as part of the same 2022 law on purchasing power – will remain unchanged and will therefore not return to 19 euros.
Still possible to buy sandwiches, salads…
The complete list of foods affected by this exemption established by the National Commission for Restaurant Vouchers (CNTR) is available ici. However, it will remain possible to purchase products such as sandwiches, instant soups, salads, ready-made pasta or fruit with restaurant vouchers, as was the case before the implementation of this temporary regulation.
On these restaurant vouchers, the Minister for SMEs, Olivia Grégoire, indicated at the beginning of October that she wanted to move to 100% dematerialized “before 2026”. “We will consult and support companies that are still on paper,” Olivia Grégoire then said. She indicated that five million French people used restaurant vouchers.
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