In principle, the French are receptive. A study published on Tuesday April 4 by the Climate Action Network (RAC) France highlights that 57% of French people say they have reduced their meat consumption in the last three years and 39% say they want to reduce it in the next three years, 9 points more than in 2021.
“Meat is perceived as more expensive than other foods and less expensive vegetable proteins are increasingly recognized by consumers”, explains Benoit Granier, food manager for the RAC. The researcher also notes an increase in the emphasis on respondents’ ecological motivations (45%, i.e. + 6 points compared to 2021).
Because there are many good reasons to reduce meat consumption. Health, food sovereignty or even the environment… Dividing French meat portions by three is even part of one of the four scenarios envisaged by the public agency for ecological transition (Ademe) in order to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.
A still timid reduction in meat consumption
In fact, the French consumed an average of 84.3 kilograms of meat per capita in 2021 compared to 87.6 kg in 2000, according to a study by FranceAgriMer published in 2022. This corresponds to an annual reduction in consumption of 160 grams per year – the average weight of a sirloin…
“It’s honestly not huge”, understates Vincent Chatellier, research engineer at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae), who points out that this drop in the weight of meat on French plates has been largely absorbed by population growth. The total weight of meat purchased in France was 5.6 million tonnes in 2021, more than in 2000 (5.3 million tonnes), for a population that increased from 60.9 million to 67.8 million. residents.
The French, however, eat less beef than twenty years ago: 22.2 kg per year and per inhabitant in 2021 against 25.4 kg in 2000, a decrease of 12.6%. Sheep meat suffered the biggest drop, falling from 5 kg to 2.7 kg, a reduction of almost half.
The chicken breakthrough
“The chicken got the piece of the pie”, explains Vincent Chatellier. Because in poultry, while turkey and duck suffered the same fate as their cattle and sheep counterparts, chicken jumped twice its annual weight consumed in France, from 10.3 kg to 21.6 kg. “It’s a product that still enjoys a good image, compared to red meat. It is perceived as good for muscle gain or for diets »explains Vincent Chatellier.
It is also an inexpensive product, which is therefore favored in the offer of sandwich shops. “Fast food restaurants like McDonald’s have expanded their chicken sandwich offerings. With 1 kg of chicken produced for 1.6 kg of input, it is an unbeatable raw material on price. There are only a few fish to do better”says the specialist.
No glaring impact of inflation
Contrary to what some economists expected, the inflationary crisis did not cause a collapse in meat consumption. “The rise in prices was not strong enough on meat compared to other products to see a postponement”, explains Vincent Chatellier. Some meats even saw an increase in consumption in volume between 2021 and 2022, such as cattle (+0.8%) and pork (+1.8%).
A matter of demand, not supply
While French meat production has fallen over the past twenty years, it has not led to a drop in consumption in France. “To compensate for the drop in the French supply, it was enough to import meat, mainly from Poland in terms of poultry”explains Vincent Chatellier, who recalls that the share of imports in total poultry consumption jumped from 15% in 2000 to 45% in 2021.
Reducing the share of meat on French plates is up to the consumer. “If we want him to consume less, the main lever would be to increase VAT on all meat products”, explains Vincent Chatellier, taking the example of taxation on cigarette sales. For his part, Benoit Granier pleads for policies aimed at changing consumption habits, such as changing canteen menus or launching government communication campaigns. Anything that would help encourage people to eat less meat but better.