“Second choice vegetables, with some imperfections. » This warning, written in felt-tip pen on a pink label, does not dissuade Marie Guibal, who walks around the Madeleine market in Orléans from 8 a.m. onwards. Because the price, 99 cents per kilogram for zucchini, black radishes or sweet potatoes, is “unbeatable”. “And these vegetables grew less than 10 kilometers from my home! », she rejoices.
In Lyon, Jean-Félix Barre also appreciates the morning stalls. “At the Carnot market, near the Perrache station, the sheep’s milk yogurts, which I buy from the producer on Sundays, are cheaper than in a neighborhood grocery store on 9e borough. The choice is wider and, what’s more, the pots are returnable”, he notes. In Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val (Tarn-et-Garonne), at the beginning of September, Anaïs Huard offered her organic production on a table. Five tomatoes, five small eggplants, a handful of potatoes, six onions and a head of garlic were worth just 6 euros. Enough to make a good family meal.
At the market, you can get good deals. Certainly, the above examples do not necessarily apply to each of the 12,000 markets which are held each week in France, according to figures from the Federation of French Market Traders’ Unions. There is no national study comparing the prices charged in the markets with those of town shops or supermarkets. “But all the anti-inflation measures are only aimed at mass distribution, while the products can be sold much less expensively on our markets”, wonders Nadine Villier, general secretary of the professional organization. Some stalls even crush all competition. “In working-class neighborhoods of big cities, without markets, people would have difficulty feeding themselves”, says the manager. The organization also supports “gleaning”, which consists of helping oneself, at the very end of the morning, from unsold items.
Seasonal products and advice
The advantageous prices practiced by certain local producers are based on the absence of intermediaries, controlled distances and reduced investments, as explained by Anaïs Huard, who sells in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val and produces in Montpezat-de-Quercy , 35 kilometers away. “I cultivate in the open field, I have no cold room or employees who help me with the harvest. And I want to keep prices accessible for residents”, she says. In return, customers only have access to a limited choice of seasonal products.
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