PARIS, Aug 12 French consumer food purchases fell by a record 11.4% in a year and a half due to rising prices, BFMTV reported on Saturday reference to data from the National Institute of Statistics of France (Insee).
“From the end of 2021 to today, French food purchases have decreased by 11.4%, this has never happened since 1980 (ed.), when Insee began collecting this data,” the TV channel reports. .
It is noted that the statistics took into account both the number of purchased products and the range of purchased products.
«Due to inflation, the French have changed their consumer habits: there is a reorientation towards discounts, reduced prices and retailer brands,» the channel says.
The National Institute of Statistics of France reported that the increase in food prices, although it turned out to be lower in annual terms in July than in June, still remained significant for meat, milk, cereals, cheese and eggs, vegetable oil.
At the end of June, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned the French that inflation would not return to pre-COVID levels. He explained this by the economic course towards the nationalization of a number of key industries, as well as actions to combat climate change. Nevertheless, according to the forecasts of the French Central Bank, after the peak of inflation in the first half of the year, it will gradually slow down and reach about 2% by the end of next year.