The French government has recently announced a new bill looking to change the habits of French consumers and hopefully improve the lives of French farmers.

The provisions included in the "loi alimentaton" or food industry bill, may be received in a positive light by those who consider themselves health conscious shoppers, but those who are more concerned with their food purchases being budget-friendly may be in for a rude awakening. The new bill, which was yet to pass in the parliament, intends to "strike a balance between commercial relations in the agricultural and food sector and a healthy and sustainable food industry" according to France's Agriculture Minister Stéphane Travert.

Below are 3 of the most prominent provisions that French consumers can expect if the loi alimentaton passes:

No More Non-Meat “Meat“ 

Manufacturers of soybean steaks or tofu steaks will be forced to rename and repackage their products (as you may have seen in our previous article, “What’s In A Label?”) because their names are deemed misleading by the government.  

Food producers will no longer have the right to use "steak", "fillet", "bacon", "sausage" or any other meaty term to describe products that have a meat composition of 0%.

French Honey Must Be Labeled as Such

Only approximately 25% of the honey consumed in France is produced in France, so the government wants for the country of origin of each honey to be marked prominently on the bottles’ labels in the hope that it encourages French honey consumers to buy 'Made in France' honey, thus benefitting local producers.

Putting a Stop the Price Wars

In an effort to stop a “price war” that is “destroying value and impoverishing producers,” the government has announced that it will be reshaping the way discounts on food products are organized.  In other words there will no more mass-discount promotions. For instance, buy BOGO (one get one free), half price, or even 70% off promotions will be illegal. 

The Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Travert stated, “Today, it is the distributors who pull in most of the value of products and who gain from the margins.”  The government will also introduce a higher resale threshold for wholesale distribution at a loss of 10 percent, meaning supermarkets will be obliged to sell a food product for the minimum of the price they bought it, plus 10 percent.

While opponents of the bill fear this will mean a price increase for consumers, Travert has assured that the consumer is "ready to pay a few cents extra if he/she knows that the product bought will pay farmers better."

We hope you've enjoyed learning about 3 Ways Loi Alimentaton Is Changing The French Food Industry! Do you think this move is an effective measure or a waste of time? Join the conversation below!