This Saturday, May 26, the National Assembly voted for there to be more products from organic farming in the canteens. The question of vegetarian menus was not unanimous.
By 2022, public catering will have to give pride of place to organic. This Saturday, May 26, the National Assembly gave the green light to the objective of at least 50% of products from organic farming or taking into account the environment in the menus of canteens.
After six hours of discussions started the day before, the deputies adopted by show of hands, article 11 of the bill on agriculture and food which, according to Minister Stéphane Travert, responds to “an ambitious presidential commitment”.
At least 20% organic products
The meals served in the canteens must include at least 50% of products acquired according to methods that take into account the cost of their life cycle, or from organic farming, or benefiting from the fishing ecolabel, or from an operation having been the subject of an environmental certification. The share set for organic is at least 20% of the total value as reported by AFP.
Faced with this objective, elected LR officials, who deemed it too ambitious, defended amendments, such as postponing to the year 2025, raising in particular the question of the additional cost of meals borne by communities and a “very great injustice” if it weighs on families. The minister balanced this concern, arguing that the additional cost would be “swept away” by measures to limit food waste.
On the issue of vegetarian meals, the debates were heated. If deputies from various sides (LREM, Modem, LFI, UAI) proposed to provide a share (the Modem envisaged 30 meals per year, LREM an experiment once a week), this was in vain. LR deputies and marchers accused them of going ‘too far’ and of wanting to ‘impose a lifestyle’ on fellow citizens.
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