While more than one in three French people want to buy more local products according to a study by Iri, the holidays seem conducive to this change in consumption.
“
There is always a peak in the consumption of local products during the summer.
Holidaymakers have more time to select their food and they want to have fun
”, highlights Yuna Chiffoleau, researcher at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae) of Montpellier.
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Read also: Our selection of sites and applications to continue to eat local during the holidays
But the summer of 2021 is not a summer like any other since it follows the Covid-19 health crisis which has made the French more sensitive to local consumption. Since the start of the year, spending has notably increased by 23% at butchers and pork butchers and also by 23% at greengrocers. “
We are seeing a stronger local consumption peak than last summer because the French know the producers better and the crisis has made them aware of this type of consumption. They want to support the local economy and in a time of concern, “eating well” also comforts them
, ”says the INRAE researcher.
Consumption that could have been even more important if the weather had been better.
July was indeed the coolest month since 2014 and the 7th wettest month of July since 1959.
“
Consumers are weather sensitive.
If the weather is not nice, the French are less inclined to eat summer fruits and vegetables.
With an improvement in the weather forecast for next week, consumption should increase, ”
explains Stéphanie Prat, director of the Federation of Fruit Producers.
Applications, supermarkets, sites: they are taking part in the movement
An appetite for local products that supermarkets do not intend to neglect. “
During the summer, supermarkets buy more from local producers because they know the interest of the consumer for these products. They adapt their orders according to the holiday calendar
, ”says Stéphanie Prat.
Several sites and applications have also been developed to connect producers and consumers because for the moment, the direct sale of fruit and vegetable producers only represents 3% of sales, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
“
We are seeing an increase in the number of new customers on the platform in July 2021 compared to last year
,” says the Epicery platform, specializing in home delivery of local food products.
Read also: E-commerce, local and homemade products: what future for consumption habits boosted by the Covid?
But vigilance must remain in place when purchasing processed products or so-called “local” or “regional” prepared meals. Even if the product is regional, the raw materials to cook it are not always regional. "
This gives life to regional SMEs, but we encourage companies to ensure that the components are also local
", asserts Yuna Chiffoleau of INRAE in Montpellier. In some tourist markets, some sellers even promote local products that actually come from abroad. To avoid this kind of abuse, INRAE has launched the Ici.C.Local initiative, which aims to promote transparency by informing consumers of the origin of products. Vigilance therefore, even on vacation.
