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Consuming less is good for the planet. And in this regard, the historic decline in French food purchases since 1980 could be considered a significant asset. Except that the increase in prices also prevents consumers from changing their eating habits…
This Friday, INSEE updated the level of inflation currently measured in France. According to this index, the dynamics of the price surge continue to ease, with consumer prices increasing by 4.3% in July year-on-year. But when it comes to food, shopping is still a budgetary issue for the French, with prices increasing by 12.7% over one year.
Inflation which has consequences on the French people’s income
In certain departments, such as milk, cheese and eggs, the increase is around 17.9%. Unsurprisingly, consumers make trade-offs by favoring one product over another, one range of items over another (this is the effect of trading down, editor’s note), or otherwise by simply buying less.
According to INSEE calculations relayed by the professional magazine Succeed, French food purchases fell by 11.4% over the last 18 months. The statistical institute has never noticed such a fall since it measured this type of purchase in 1980. Today’s consumer can no longer be yesterday’s consumer. A recent analysis from NielseniQ indicated that customers were doing small shopping more often, abandoning the trolley in favor of the basket, to increase the number of visits to stores, and thus better control their budget.
Sustainable consumption: yes, but not right away…
Nowadays, the consumer does not share exactly the same profile as that of the past, if only because of the environmental context and the need to act to better preserve the planet. According to a recent study by the start-up Varda, spotted by the webzine Greenqueen63% of British people, among a sample of 1,000 people surveyed, are aware that we must adopt behavior in line with sustainable development.
And yet, while 70% say they are concerned about how we will supply the food chain in the future, more than half (55%) of Britons have not changed their eating habits in order to be more in tune with the climate emergency. We all know the adage: it’s the intention that counts. We can therefore only congratulate the 71% of consumers across the Channel who have planned to change the way they eat to have less impact on the planet.
Prices that deprive you of switching to sustainability
Except that it is complicated to associate words with actions in an inflationary context. The rise in food prices has indeed had an impact on the choices and habits of 89% of British consumers. While German Penny supermarkets have made a big splash in recent days by doubling the prices of certain items in order to make the environmental cost of their production more concrete, only 29% of Britons would be willing to pay more for a more eco-friendly product. ‘environment. Furthermore, 86% of the sample would not want to put their hand in their pocket beyond 25%.
The financial reality of inflation for households only revives the problem of the excessively expensive cost of more environmentally friendly foods. An obvious fact that is verified all over the world. 45% of consumers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East consider them too expensive, revealed the latest report from Chinese giant Alibaba. The price does indeed constitute a pitfall for sustainable consumption since 33% of respondents believed that by making the products concerned more accessible, consumer choices would be more in line with the climate emergency. The decline in organic purchases in France is a perfect illustration of this (-7.4% in 2022).
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Less food waste
However, we cannot completely overshadow the picture. Because in a context of arbitration and lower consumption, the planet also has to gain, especially at a time when greenhouse gas emissions linked to food production have increased by 14% over the last twenty years. recent years, according to a study published in the journal Nature Food. Take the example of meat. Last March, the Climate Action Network revealed that nearly six out of ten French people consumed less steak than three years ago. For 58% of them, the problem is clearly the price. If consumers recompose their menu, they also pay more attention to food waste. In September 2022, almost half of French households (48%) indicated to the Kantar institute that they were considering throwing leftover meals in the trash less to try to reduce the impact of inflation on their budget.