The war between Ukraine and Russia has had many consequences for the rest of the world. Consumers have particularly felt this in terms of their purchasing power: inflation on foodstuffs has been through the roof since the start of the conflict. It is now not uncommon for more modest households to give up buying products consumed in the past because their prices have become too high. According to BFM Business, Friday November 10, 2023, a particular product, very popular with the French, is expected to cost consumers much more in 2024. Indeed, the price of applesauce is likely to explode in the near future. However, this increase is not a result of the war in Ukraine. In fact, manufacturers are worried about supply tensions, but also about a 100% increase in the price of apples compared to last year. This situation is partly explained by the fact that the fruits harvested in the orchards are of too good quality.
Inflation: “The price of apples has doubled compared to last year”
Concretely, the harvested apples are first sent to cool by the arborists. Then, the “less pretty” fruits are sold to manufacturers, who use them to make compote. “Each year, around 20% of the volume of apples made in France is processed on average”, underlined Adrien Mary, general delegate of the fruit group of the Federation of Preserved Food Industries (FIAC), at the microphone of BFM Business. “This year, we are more around 15%”, specified for his part the director of the national association Pommes poires, Pierre Venteau. Due to the excellent quality of the harvested apples, manufacturers will not only buy less fruit to make their compote, but they will also pay more for it. The price of products on the shelves will therefore increase in order to compensate for this loss. “The price has doubled compared to last year. The sector is doing everything it can to contain inflation,” indicated Adrien Mary, admitting that he will be “complicated to avoid a price increase on the shelves”.