Faced with unprecedented inflation since the 1980s, particularly on food products, the association Familles Rurales asked the executive on Wednesday, February 22 to create a monthly allowance of €65 to help low-income households eat healthily.
In its annual price observatory published on Wednesday, the association notes that due to inflation, a family of two adults and two children must pay a minimum of €477 per month for healthy eating – that is to say by buying seasonal products that are sufficiently varied with regard to the recommendations of the National Nutrition and Health Plan.
Need for a specific allocation
However, according to estimates by Rural Families, this amount is nearly €65 higher than what families living at the poverty line can afford. Hence the idea, relayed in a letter to the Minister of Health François Braun, to pay a specific allowance to the most modest households.
Its annual cost is calculated at 7.2 billion euros, which the association compares with “20 billion euros spent on treating pathologies that we could avoid” by eating healthier.
Food inflation of more than 12% over one year
In a context where food inflation exceeded 12% over one year in 2022, having a balanced diet also makes it possible to pay less, underlines Rural Families, according to which the increase in the prices of healthy products was limited to 8.3 %. “The explanation is due in particular to the fact that the healthiest products for our health are generally the least processed foods and whose production requires fewer intermediaries”emphasizes Rural families in his study.
Among the seven product categories selected, pulses (+3.8%) experienced the lowest inflation and fats (+12.9%) the highest price increases. Cereal and starchy products rose by 11.2%, the price of fruit and vegetables rose by 10.7%. Overall, inflation has increased the minimum food budget for a family of four by €27 in 2022, to €477 per month compared to €450 in 2021.
The survey was carried out over four periods (February, April, June and October 2022) in 134 stores by a team of 98 “consumption watchdogs” in 37 departments. The readings covered 85 everyday consumer products.