The Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs responded to questions from Ouest-France on the upcoming reform of meal vouchers, the sale of the 60 million consumer magazine but also on the uncertainty surrounding the government to which she belongs.
The extension of the use of meal vouchers in supermarkets was voted by the National Assembly. This exemption dissatisfies restaurateurs but you supported it. For what ?
The priority was to respond to the emergency and ensure that the French do not have any unpleasant surprises when they go shopping in large and medium-sized stores in January 2025. That was the challenge for consumers who have still suffered 20% inflation on food during the years 2022 and 2023. I also believe that this use was unanimous among the French, even if inflation is now declining.
Then, I am aware of the issues. I met the restaurant unions, the hotel industry and fast food representatives. The government measures the importance of their sector of activity in the economy, but also in terms of jobs. Behind the activity of commercial catering, there is also the question of the animation of our city centers and town centers in small towns, of social ties.
Precisely, a study by the National Meal Voucher Commission published Thursday mentions the elimination of 40,000 jobs and even the end of the system if the situation remains as it is in the future…
This is why everyone – professionals, employers, issuers, consumers – must sit around the table next January to reform a system that dates from 1967. I committed to this before the National Assembly last Wednesday, when the text has been examined. For example, dematerialization will continue. We work methodically and sincerely and I cannot preempt the results of the study, we take things in order.
I also said that I was listening to the double ceiling but I am waiting to know if it is legally feasible, so that no player is harmed by a distortion of competition.
Everything is open and I remind you that the National Assembly supported a two-year extension of the exemption rather than making it permanent as some might have wished. Precisely, because perpetuating before reforming makes no sense.
Around ten consumer associations have announced their opposition to the sale of the state-owned magazine 60 Million Consumers. What do you say to them?
What I explain to them is that there are difficulties. Today, 60 million consumers have halved its number of subscribers. In 5 years, it went from 140,000 to just over 70,000 subscribers. Recovery plans have multiplied, without success. I think that the best opportunity to allow 60 million consumers to find a new lease of life is to find a buyer for the title. It is also part of an optimal use of public funds in a context of seeking savings and rationalizing our expenses. This is a file that I will follow closely.
How do you guarantee follow-up on files when your government is so fragile?
I often say: we act on what we can act on. No one controls the time that will be given to us and things are in the hands of the National Assembly. I have this great mission which was entrusted to me by Michel Barnier. I'm fully committed, I'm spending a lot of time on it, a lot of energy and I will put all my energy into it as long as things continue.
So what is the roadmap of the State Secretary for Consumer Affairs?
As minister responsible for the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF), it is to guarantee the French people confidence in the products they consume. That is an essential axis. Thanks to the economic policeman, we are going to strengthen controls. In addition to being an irritant in daily life, we know that many consumers, particularly elderly people, are victims of fraud after cold calling. If we take the completely opposite audience of the youngest, who are consumers in development and very exposed to influencers, we want, for example, to fight against drug treatments to lose weight.
Black Friday and Christmas are periods conducive to multiple promotions, advertisements but also SMS, malicious emails, etc.
In DGCCRF controls, in 2022, for Christmas toys alone, there was an anomaly rate of 17%, which is still not negligible. Large foreign platforms are particularly monitored because behind the attractive prices there can be anomalies. When the French buy their Christmas toys, they have the right to quality products that guarantee their safety.
Also read. The pitfalls of Black Friday: “If it’s not mentioned, choose another merchant”
For Black Friday, which also shows the evolution of our consumption patterns, I co-signed an article with my colleague Marie-Agnès Poussier Winsback, responsible for the social and solidarity economy and profit-sharing and participation in government, to place this commercial event under the sign of a more sustainable and more French economy. This is the second axis of my work at Bercy.
What do you plan to do?
I salute and encourage the manufacturers and distributors who are committed to the deployment of Origin Info on the provenance of the foods that make up a processed dish. This is a necessary step for consumers and the government is at their side. I also want to work on the food budget of French households. Today it is 13% of their income, but this share rises to 25% among the most vulnerable. We owe them special attention.
Are any measures planned in the budget going in this direction?
Everything concerns the consumer in state budgets! The soda tax is an important subject, for example, as is the cost of energy. But there are no plans to pass certain measures by decree such as the reduction in the bonus for the purchase of electric vehicles.
