Household food expenditure by type in France 2011-2018

Between 2011 and 2018, French households’ fruit and vegetable expenses rose substantially from approximately 24 to 33 billion euros. Following a similar pattern, the wholesale revenue of fruit and vegetables has been increasing steadily since 2014 and is expected to keep rising. This change might be explained by current food trends in favor of more sustainable and local products.

The rise of local fresh food and its impact on households’ expenses

In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis caused a price inflation on fresh products, especially fruit and vegetables. According to different sources, this might be explained by the inability of retailers to sell imported products, forcing them to replace them by locally produced ones. More broadly, in France, most people perceive local food as being expensive. Yet, the proportion of consumers who prefer buying local products keeps growing.

The limits of sustainable food trends

Reducing meat consumption is also a major food trend related to sustainability today. A majority of French people among all age groups say they are willing to eat less meat for environmental reasons. However, in practice, meat remains the biggest food expense for French households. In 2018, they spent a total of 36.4 billion euros on meat.