The increased use of meal vouchers for shopping has made the body that supervises it fear the disappearance of the system, with the CNTR estimating that nearly 100,000 direct jobs depend on it, according to a study published this Monday, November 25. The National Assembly urgently adopted last Wednesday the extension until the end of 2026 of the exemption which allows meal vouchers to be used to purchase all food products, an adoption which must still be confirmed by a vote in the Senate .
“If the meal voucher is a little diverted from its purpose, there is the risk that the Court of Auditors will reconsider the exemption” from charges, granted specifically to finance the employee’s lunch break, explained to the ‘AFP Jean-Michel Rousseau, vice-president of the CNTR. The National Commission for Meal Vouchers (CNTR) involves all stakeholders in the system (employers, employees, traders, issuers) and ensures an information, decision-making and control role. The organization called on C-Ways, a marketing consulting company specializing in data, to evaluate the economic and social impact of the meal voucher based on figures from the CNTR and INSEE for 2024 and 2023.
According to this study, the system is “a pillar for employment”, supporting 76,000 direct jobs in the catering sector and less than 7,500 in the food distribution sector. If the system is removed, C-Ways has calculated that 40,000 jobs could disappear.
In 2023, 14 billion euros will directly benefit businesses and restaurateurs
From an economic point of view, “each euro invested by employers in meal vouchers generates 2.70 euros injected into the local economy”, according to the study, which calculates that 14 billion euros directly benefited businesses and restaurateurs thanks to meal vouchers in 2023. Of this total, the study identifies “8.6 billion euros for traditional or fast food, the main beneficiary of the system”.
Meal vouchers are also “a significant source of revenue for the State, which collects around 3 billion euros per year via VAT, social and employer contributions, as well as corporate and income taxes”. according to the study. “After deducting the specific exemptions granted, the net benefit for the State is estimated at 845 million euros per year,” underlines C-Ways.
The CNTR offers differentiated ceilings
While Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs Laurence Garnier committed last week to opening discussions on a reform of meal vouchers from 2025, the CNTR wishes to make its contribution to the consultation. The organization notably proposes the establishment of different ceilings depending on whether the vouchers are used to purchase immediately consumable food preparations or foods requiring preparation (pasta, eggs, fresh meat and fish, etc.), while maintaining a maximum daily ceiling at 25 euros so as not to make the meal voucher a disguised salary. “Once we have given authorization to use meal vouchers for a purpose, it is difficult to go back,” admits Jean-Michel Rousseau. The increased use of teleworking also justifies greater flexibility in their use, underlines the CNTR.
Other proposals: increase the face value of meal vouchers, “to cover the real cost of a balanced meal, estimated between 12 and 19 euros depending on the region and type of restaurant”, or even increase the employer’s share in co-financing (currently at 60%).