The Familles Rurales association proposes the establishment of a food check in the amount of 65 euros per month to help low-income families eat better. The government is questioned about it. We take stock.
The idea of setting up a food check was raised. This Wednesday, February 22, the French association Familles Rurales called on the government and the Minister of Health François Braun, following the publication of its Observatory of consumer prices 2022, to set up a financial allowance to help low-income households. And for good reason, today, to eat healthy, a family of four (two adults and two children) must pay nearly 477 euros per month, by varying the products a little and buying seasonal foods. In the overseas departments, the reality is even harsher, because “the same basket of products costs almost 50% more than in France”, says the association in its report. A significant budget that many households do not have or cannot spend on their shopping in view of theinflation on food products.
What will the food voucher offered by Rural Families be used for?
The objective of the food voucher, as it was designed by Rural Families, is simple: help low-income families eat better. This monthly allowance should also be used to save money because as the association points out: over one year in 2022, food inflation exceeded 12%, while the rise in the price of healthy products only increased by 8.3%. “Although important, it is clear that eating in accordance with the recommendations of the PNNS (National Health Nutrition Plan, editor’s note), makes it possible to ‘contain’ this inflation. Our basket of healthy “organic” products is the one that records the most less significant since standing at +4.3%”, specifies Rural Families in its study carried out over four periods in February, April, June and October 2022. From a health point of view too, this financial aid could be beneficial since “every year 20 billion spent on treating pathologies, induced by poor diet, that we could avoid”, believes the organization.
Who could benefit from the food voucher?
For the Association Rural Families, the food voucher, if implemented, should benefit low-income households and families. At the socio-economic level, so-called low-income households are those whose standard of living is between 60 and 90% of the median standard of living. According to INSEE figures from November 2021, based on 2019 data, the median standard of living was estimated at 1,837 euros per month.
What is the amount of the food check designed by Rural Families?
The amount of the food voucher offered by Rural Families is 65 euros per month. For the association, it now corresponds to the monthly budget that the most precarious households lack to access healthy food.
Sources: Observatory of consumer prices 2022. Rural Families Association
France, social profile. 2021 edition. Insee