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While the shopping basket weighs more and more heavily in the budget of the French, certain worrying markers go into the red, even dark red, this month of March. So much so that health also seems to suffer.
Plus 10% on foodstuffs planned in stores this month of March, while prices have already increased by an average of 14% over the past year. Encrypted announcements follow one another in editions and articles on the web. But it is concrete data that is the most worrying illustration of this. Because several areas concerning all populations are directly impacted at the beginning of the month.
The League against obesity fears an even greater increase
First worrying observation for health, inflation is changing the eating habits of the French. These, to preserve their wallets, are now making decisions on fresh products, such as vegetables and fruit, which have suffered a reduction of 5 and 6%, but also on fish and meat. At the same time, the lowest-end products are preferred, promoting weight gain. Bad news when the League against Obesity is already warning of an increase in obesity cases: from 8.5% of the population in 1997 to 17% in 2023. An increase that mainly affects disadvantaged socio-professional categories but not only: with rising prices, obesity has also increased among executives by 2.5 points in 20 years. And may well continue.
A price spike in diapers
Early childhood is also directly impacted by inflation. On Wednesday March 1, the annual negotiations between distributors and manufacturers ended, announcing an increase “from the price of diapers by 25%” over the next few weeks. Thus the tariff requests of the manufacturers are “30%” higher than those of last year. An increase due to the increase in the price of paper pulp (diapers include cellulose) but also to a need to regulate prices while many promotions have allowed for years to compete with new online offers. Result: a huge cost for families while according to ANSES, a child consumes no less than 3,800 to 4,800 diapers before toilet training.
22% more attendance at Restos du Cœur
While this first weekend of March begins the collection of Restos du Coeurs in supermarkets, the association fears a double effect of inflation and communicates on the even more marked difficulty this year of meeting the needs of the most precarious:
“At the start of the month, we are at + 22% in attendance compared to March 2022, a consequence of inflation but also of health crises” confirms the association joined by Doctissimo.
“This resurgence of inflation makes us fear two things: that the number of people received will increase further, but also that the French budget and resources will be much lower, quite simply because everything costs more. From the package of dough to baby diapers. We don’t know if there will be fewer donations, but there is concern about this weekend supposed to collect 10% of the total contribution of the Restos”.
The association also warns of an increase in the precariousness of the people received. Thus, since the start of the campaign in November, 50% are under 25 years old. 60% live with half the poverty line, or 550 euros (it was 50% last year). And the association, which already welcomed 1,100,000 babies in November, saw in just 3 months a 16% increase in these little beneficiaries.
“This makes us fear a repercussion of precariousness in the long term” concludes the association.
On March 3, 4 and 5, the Restos du Coeur hope to collect food and hygiene products for the first age as a priority.