58% of respondents say they have reduced their meat consumptionto save money, because it is an expensive food» smile / stock.adobe.com
Due to rising prices, the French are reducing their consumption or turning to less expensive and too often imported meats.
Due to galloping inflation, the French are tightening their belts and adapting their consumption habits. The most expensive products are gradually ousted from shopping baskets. With a year-on-year price increase approaching 20%, meat products are at the forefront of this major shedding. According to the latest barometer from the Climate Action Network, nearly 57% of French people have reduced their meat consumption over the previous three years. A figure up nine points compared to the last study in 2021, which confirms a global trend. But while 2% of French people no longer consume meat, the others seem to be less and less careful about the quality of their meat.
Provenance was however the first purchasing criterion in 2021. But now, it is the price that is in the lead, far ahead of the environmental impact, the organic labeling or even the remuneration of the breeder. Although the price/taste/origin podium remains the same, “the local or at least French origin of the meat” And “the fact that the producer is fairly remunerated“, experiencing vertiginous falls of 7 and 10 points. The criterion ” pricejumped 10 points. Proof that the French are now looking to make savings as a priority. Especially since the financial argument is also in pole position of the justifications: 58% of respondents say they have reduced their meat consumption “to save money, because it is an expensive food“. The following are health, animal welfare and the environment.
Share of national production and imports in French consumption of poultry meat FranceAgriMer according to SSP and French customs
On the other hand, the Climate Action Network study says nothing about the actual consumption of meat in France. The fact that a proportion of French people say they eat less does not mean that the total volume consumed is decreasing. According to FranceAgriMer’s latest report on the dairy, meat and poultry product markets published in February, total French consumption of red meat in 2022 exceeds that of 2021 by 1.0%. Chicken. In 2022, “chicken meat consumption remained on the rise (+4.6%), with growth similar to 2021“says the report. This increase in consumption, coupled with the serious French poultry crisis due to avian flu, is causing an increase in imports. “In 2022, the share of poultry meat imports in consumption has increased sharply. It reached 42.7% for poultry meat and up to 50.2% for chicken meat“. This surge in chicken consumption is mainly due to the cost of meat.
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Be that as it may, among the potential protein substitutes, the favorites of the Climate Action Network respondents are legumes, closely followed by cereals. Considered cheaper, richer in fiber and rewarding for the French terroir, these foods may become the new stars of supermarkets. Red lantern of alternatives to meat, insects will undoubtedly be relegated to the bottom of the shelves.