Why are consumers turning away from organic? In Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), a working-class suburb to the south of the capital, eating healthy and cheap does not seem to go hand in hand and filling your shopping cart with organic products at the time of inflation is not reach of all budgets.
In the parking lot of the Casino supermarket, Bruno, 36, details his food budget. “I spend 500 euros a month on it,” confides this fiber optic technician with one of his two little girls by his side. And the organic prices clearly prevent him from opting for this commodity. “I would like the products to be more affordable,” he regrets.
As a result, Bruno limits his purchases and operates arbitrations. “I buy private label organic eggs at 2.92 euros for 6, which are a few tens of cents more than standard eggs and also certain fruits such as bananas which are 20 to 30 cents more expensive than conventional ones” , he says.
A few meters further, Patricia comes out of the Naturalia store, a specialized brand. This 63-year-old grandmother has just done the lunch shopping she plans to prepare for her grandson. “I feel like I have to give him healthy things to eat no matter the cost. But hey, it’s still excessively expensive, ”says the retiree.
In her basket, the sexagenarian placed two leeks, two tomatoes, a zucchini, a box of cakes, a salad and a small pizza for a total of 12 euros. “Vegetables are much more expensive than at the supermarket so I only take a quarter of my groceries organic when I cook for myself,” concludes Patricia, who devotes 450 euros per month to her food.
“At home, I go directly to the producers”
Change of scenery to the northwest of Paris, in another supermarket located this time in the center of Clichy-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine). At the mention of products stamped AB, some passers-by stop. “I would like to eat organic but it’s too expensive”, admits Auguste, 23 years old.
The marketing student refrains from the organic department. “I only have a food budget of 170 euros so I couldn’t afford to buy more expensive products,” admits the young man. He very occasionally buys fruit and vegetables from producers at the market when he finds a good price “but that’s all, unfortunately, when I’m very attracted to healthy eating,” says Auguste.
Élise, on the other hand, refuses organic farming by choice. The 40-year-old Atsem devotes a large part of his budget to food for his 2 children, but explains that he comes “from the countryside, in the Lot. At home, I go directly to the producers and it’s cheaper, seasonal and local. Above all, I want to know where my food comes from and what the chickens have eaten”.