Parliamentarians in France have proposed legislation that would require supermarkets to offer a range of at least 80 healthy food products at reduced profit margins.
According to an article in Le Monde, the proposals were tabled in the Senate by Antoinette Guhl, a Green senator for Paris and rapporteur of a Senate inquiry commission examining the margins of manufacturers and large retailers.
‘Guarantee Access’
The proposed legislation aims to ‘guarantee access to a diverse basket of healthy food products sold at cost price’, the paper reported.
It follows on from the publication of a similar bill introduced in France’s National Assembly in July by Boris Tavernier, a Green MP representing the second district of the Rhône. The two texts are identical, according to Le Monde.
Both parliamentarians are eager to have the proposals discussed in one of the two chambers from October, once a parliamentary slot becomes available.
The initiative has received support from almost 40 associations, including Familles Rurales, Foodwatch, France Assos Santé and Secours catholique-Caritas France.
These organisations have previously called for legislation requiring supermarkets to offer what they describe as an ’emergency basket’ of 100 healthy products at reduced prices, as a matter of urgency.
‘Fair, Effective And Sustainable’
In a statement, Families Rurales said that such a proposal would be “fair, because it refuses to choose between producers’ income and consumers’ purchasing power. It is effective, because it directly impacts the price of essential foods. It is sustainable, because it requires distributors to reduce their margins on a limited number of products, without jeopardising their overall profitability and without using public funds to finance the food basket.”
The group added that the measure is also “necessary”, as it addresses an “explosion of chronic diseases” in France linked to the decline in the quality of consumers’ diets.
Dining and Cooking