FOOD CHECK. Government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire formalized the implementation of the 2022 food voucher on Wednesday. For whom? What conditions? We take stock.
[Mis à jour le 29 juin 2022 à 18h28] This time, the food check trail seems to hold the right end. If the project remains subject to the vote of Parliament, the government announced on Wednesday June 29 that it would like it to be put in place for the start of the school year in September. In an attempt to compensate for inflation and in particular the rise in food prices after the war in Ukraine, a food check in the amount of 100 euros will see the light of day after months of hesitation and announcements, finally followed by confirmation by the government spokesperson, Olivia Gregoire this Wednesday, June 29 during a trip to La Chapelle-sur-Erdre near Nantes.
This “emergency food aid” will benefit 9 million poorest French peopleand 50 euros will be granted per additional dependent child. The executive still does not rule out setting up a “more qualitative food voucher to access organic, fresh and local products” according to the member of the government. The food voucher should be on the program of the amending finance bill and paid from September 2022, automatically into the bank account of the beneficiaries, without any action on their part.
The amount of the food check was made official by Government spokesperson Olivia Grégoire during a trip near Nantes on Thursday, June 29. It will be 100 euro plus 50 euro per additional dependent child. A time announced around 60 euros, then at 150 euros, the government put an end to the suspense at the end of June, a few days before the presentation of the purchasing power bill, on July 6 in the Council of ministers.
This was the big question of this food voucher project. Who will be the beneficiaries? Emmanuel Macron had mentioned “lower classes” and “middle classes” on March 22, 2022 in an interview with France Bleu. What will be the criteria? Will there be a threshold of reference tax income not to exceed ? These questions remained unclear until June 29, 2022. During a trip near Nantes, the government spokesperson Olivia Grégoire confirmed the implementation of the food voucher, and mentioned the figure of 9 million beneficiaries among the most modest French people. In 2021, the Ministry of the Economy defended the idea that the system be entrusted to the municipal centers for social action (CCAS), thus targeting 5 million beneficiaries, a track also presented by the citizens of the Citizens’ Convention in their report. We would therefore be moving towards other criteria, to be specified when the project is presented on July 6, 2022 to the Council of Ministers.
The implementation of the food check has proven to be more complex than expected for the executive and has seen several dates being brought forward over the months. Budget Minister Gabriel Attal said “hope to be able to present this measure in 2023″, evoking for his part a new inflation bonus of 150 euros, paid at the start of the 2022 school year. The Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau had advanced a period: ” October November”. However, this period simply corresponds to the debates concerning the 2023 finance law. At the end of June, Olivia Grégoire, government spokesperson, surprised by presenting the beginnings of the system and finally confirmed a payment at the start of the school year, therefore in September 2022.
The Fund of Family allowances does not currently allocate food vouchers on a national scale but could be the body responsible for this system, linked to the social aid it already pays. At the local level, certain food aid schemes can already be put in place. It is advisable to contact the social action department of your fund. On its dedicated site, the Caf de Saône-et-Loire notably highlighted the implementation of one-off aid in April 2020, in order to help the most deprived to buy basic food products. The device was then aimed at beneficiaries of family benefits, APL, RSA and the activity bonus.
The priority of Emmanuel Macron and his government is fruit and vegetables. And French if possible, from short circuits, and organic! Products qualified as “healthy”. This food check could be used in the supermarket or on the stalls of your local markets. The track of another device intended for organic products was also confirmed by Olivia Grégoire on June 29, 2022, the latter evoking a future “more qualitative food voucher to access organic, fresh and local products”.