"Playing on inflation" would be "imbecile", says the boss of the agri-food industry

Playing on inflation would be “suicidal” or “completely imbecile” on the part of agrifood manufacturers, their representative Jean-Philippe André, president of the National Association of Food Industries (Ania), estimated on Saturday, while manufacturers and distributors must be received next week by the government.

"Inflation is a slow poison for the purchasing power of households, but it is also a poison for the purchasing power of businesses," said Jean-Philippe André on France Inter. “You would have to be suicidal or completely stupid to play on inflation to manage companies in the agri-food sector,” he said.

Even if he recognizes that the drop in volumes "does not help manufacturers at all", the boss of the main organization representing food processing companies (excluding cooperatives) refutes any compensation by unjustified price increases to preserve or increase their profitability. Prices "are aligned with world commodity prices, some of which are falling but others continue to rise," he said, citing the example of sugar, coffee or pork.

Thursday, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire announced that he would meet with the Minister of Commerce Olivia Grégoire “next week the distributors and manufacturers to take a new point on the fight against the high cost of living”. For several months, the government has been pressuring powerful groups, such as Coca-Cola, Mondelez or Nestlé, to take their part in efforts to curb soaring prices.

In July, Ania (National Association of Food Industries) announced that “forty” major agri-food industries had undertaken to make an “effort” on the price of “about 1,000 products” from major brands. . The National Institute of Statistics measured the soaring prices in food at 12.7% over one year in July, a sharp increase, however less than in June (13.7% over one year). Figures for August will be released on Thursday morning.