Millions of French people do not have enough food to eat: Report

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
20 May 16:24
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Twenty-seven percent of those already getting food assistance from Secours Catholique "do not eat for days at a time."

A produce vendor holds a plastic bag containing potatoes as she serves clients behind a plastic sheet at a street market in Paris, France, May 14, 2020. (AFP)

A new study revealed that 16% of French people say they did not have enough food to eat at the end of last year.

The ratio has risen dramatically in the last six months, rising from 12 to 16 percent, according to the Research Center for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions (Crédoc). This means that more than 10 million of France's 68 million people do not get enough food.

The center ascribed the discovery to an increase in the price of food products on store shelves, as well as inflation of more than 10% in some categories.

While the French have the wherewithal to eat their full, roughly one in every two confesses they do not have access to all of the foods they enjoy, according to the report.

Since the ratio of food prices to people's wages is not proportionate, they are forced to forego meat, fish, and even fruits and vegetables.

While these exclusions remained relatively marginal when inflation was kept below 2 percent, according to the study, they have increased significantly in recent months as economic problems have intensified.

The French have had to adapt to changing circumstances by purchasing things that are not always of high quality as well as newer and more expensive products.

Concerning the health repercussions of food insecurity in families, Crédoc demonstrates that women and even young people are more vulnerable to food hardship in households with children. As a result, the study found that 24% of adults under the age of 40 are food insecure, while 7% of people in the age group 60-69 are.

In light of this report, Macron pitched the idea of implementing tax reductions for middle-class citizens in an interview with L'Opinion Daily. "We must continue the trajectory of lowering taxes on our middle class," Macron said.

The Middle-class in France refers to those with income which ranges from $1,600 to $2,700. Macron argued that these tax reductions would incentivize individuals to stay on the job despite tax raises in the past years.