Inflation: Bruno Le Maire promises price cuts in food

The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire assured Sunday on France 3 that the prices of certain food products would fall in 2024. “I am sure that certain prices will fall”, indicated the minister, specifying that these reductions would be seen “ as soon as the trade negotiations have concluded”, on January 31. “Last year, when there was a commercial negotiation, there was a 15% price increase. Today, we are more around 5%. It’s still too much,” he said.

“My responsibility is to ensure that prices fall on as many products as possible,” repeated the minister. “You will have price reductions on butter, on oils, on certain products such as poultry, on certain meats, not simply a stabilization,” according to him. “It is not a question of returning to pre-crisis prices. “It won’t happen,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of organizing commercial negotiations between distributors and suppliers throughout the year, the minister was against it. “I think it would cause a lot of problems for our producers,” “I’m afraid it would greatly weaken our farmers,” he said. Asked about the food checks demanded by certain actors to help the most vulnerable French people, the minister indicated that he did not think it was “the right path to follow”, favoring aid to associations and food banks. “Let’s forget about check policies, we can’t afford them today,” he said.