Hundreds of products at reasonable prices but are they healthy? The question is worth asking when analyzing the various anti-inflation baskets established by some retail chains. Barely a month ago, the president of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), deplored the quality of the products integrated by Carrefour in its promotional operation: the “Anti-inflationary Challenge”. “Help the most precarious as you say you do, should it go through spread, beers, soft drinks?” Christiane Lambert asked in a letter addressed to the CEO of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard.
We must believe that the criticisms of the head of the first French agricultural union did not fall on deaf ears. Of the 200 products contained in the anti-inflation basket announced last weekend by Carrefour, 100 are labeled “healthy” with Nutri-Score A and B: they are yogurts, eggs, milk or even fresh vegetables. These 200 products will be offered at two euros and “at a block price” until mid-June, with 100 products for daily use such as clothing, diapers or flour.
Mediocre or even bad Nutri-Scores in Système U
It is the brand that started these operations against price increases a month ago that is the subject of criticism from UFC-Que Choisir, namely System U. In early February, the large retailer launches an anti-inflation basket containing 150 products, including 138 foods at cost price. Problem: there are no fresh vegetables or fruits, but canned, frozen or integrated into prepared meals, fruit juices and soft drinks, as well as chips, peanuts. As for sweets, cookies, pastries, chocolates and other sweets and even more surprising: 8 different alcohols.
This is how the consumer association identified 17 products with Nutri-Score E and 31 with a D rating, so that close to 40% of the products in the anti-inflation basket have a mediocre or even poor nutritional rating. “Carrefour gives a good signal, A or B, with a limitation of about 200 products, which is reasonable – 500 I don’t believe,” Jean-Yves Mano, president of the CLCV consumer association, declared last night on the BFMTV set. With the Super U advertisement in which it was thought appropriate to put 8 alcohols, I think that it is not a highly significant gesture that goes in the direction of the story.
Another of the brands that unveiled its anti-inflation basket last weekend, Intermarché is expanding the system to 500 products, betting on 470 own-brand products, to which are added 30 fresh products from the traditional gondola such as meat, vegetables, fruit or fish that can be sold for less than 10 euros thanks to the boats owned by the brand.
Source: BFM TV
