Faced with the sharp rise in food prices (+14.5% over one year in February according to INSEE), Bruno Le Maire hopes that the support system, currently in discussions with distributors and manufacturers, "
affects all our compatriots, all the French
”.
Thus, despite the desire displayed by the government to put an end to the "
whatever the cost
" decreed since the Covid-19 pandemic, "
I am not in favor of an overly targeted system
", declared the Minister of Economy and Finance during a trip to the Agricultural Show this Thursday.
"
Everyone is affected by food inflation
", including the middle classes, he justified himself.
Will this device take the form of an “anti-inflation basket”, an idea launched in January by the Minister for Trade Olivia Grégoire?
“
I am not attached to a particular baptismal name
”, replied Bruno Le Maire simply, specifying that it will be a question of finding a solution to “
guarantee, on a certain number of products, the lowest possible prices
” .
Read alsoFood: the government promises to “break daily prices” to fight inflation
"No 'Red March'"
"
It is not a question of having the lowest possible prices on all products without exception
", but "
of offering a way out to all consumers who are struggling to make ends meet, by telling them that on a certain number of products, they will find the lowest possible prices
”, specified the tenant of Bercy.
To limit the cost of this still vague device, the Minister calls on distributors and large manufacturers to "
do their part of the way
".
“
Not everything can be paid for by the state
,” he insisted.
The number two of the government repeated that it wanted this device to be “
applied
” within a fortnight.
“
I want this agreement to be applied on March 15.
I am not saying that we find an agreement on March 15, but that it is in force for March 15
, ”he insisted on underlining.
Steadily rising since 2022, food prices are set to rise further in the coming months, following annual trade talks between supermarkets and their suppliers, which concluded on Wednesday evening.
Both distributors and manufacturers mention the figure of an additional 10% increase on the shelves.
"
There will be no 'red march', I refute this expression which scares the French, and which is convenient for concealing increases which may not take place
", hammered Bruno Le Maire.