This is one of the main reasons for farmers’ anger: the increasing weight of foreign vegetables and fruits on the shelves of large retailers.
Thus, 36% of the tomatoes consumed in France are currently imported. According to the National Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries Products, in 2019 French production of fruits and vegetables represented 60% of the supply, compared to 65% in 2005.
However, mass distribution tries to defend itself. Example with Lidl.
The latter also highlights the seasonality and availability of the products. “It’s February 1 and I don’t have French products in 100% of my references,” he explains, citing zucchini in particular.
The French cherry tomato is 2.4 times more expensive than the Moroccan one
“But we have already planned our productions with our producers and we will be the first distributor to switch to French as soon as possible and as soon as production is present in France,” continues Michel Biero.
Still, some prices are shocking, like those of Moroccan tomatoes.
“The average price in stores of cherry tomatoes from France is 2.4 times higher than that of Morocco, according to estimates the website of the Breton Chambers of Agriculture. For cocktail and round tomatoes the difference is less significant (1.4). This is all the more significant as the market share of cherry tomatoes in French household purchases increased from 7.8% in 2015 to 14.3% in 2020.”
Its import reached more than 425,000 tons in 2022, an increase of 40% in just five years.
Source: BFM TV
