“It doesn’t cost more to eat well! » That's the theory. But in practice, it's sometimes a little more complicated than that. The consumer defense organization Foodwatch analyzed the sugar content of twelve categories of products sold in supermarkets, according to their price range. Result: the cheapest ones are sweeter, she denounces in a study published Wednesday.
And we're not talking about candies and cookies, but references in which we wouldn't imagine finding added sugars, like mayonnaise, canned peas, pesto or even cordon bleu. “If your budget is tight, you won't be able to make the best choice for your health,” said Audrey Morice, campaigns manager at Foodwatch. But with time spent in the kitchen and a few tips, it is possible to eat well while not blowing your budget.
Huge price differences on raw products
Health experts and chefs hammer it home: to eat well, the best solution is to cook raw products: what we gain in budget by avoiding ultra-processed products with ultimately quite high prices per kilo, we compensates for this with time spent in the kitchen to concoct small, healthy meals and snacks for the whole family using raw, healthier and less expensive products.
But even if you are a pro at home, buying raw products that you are going to cook does not cost the same price depending on what you choose to put in your basket. You can therefore buy chicken fillets for less than 9 euros per kilo which, at that price, will often come from poultry imported from Eastern Europe or a country outside the EU, from intensive breeding. , where animals do not see daylight, are confined on top of each other and receive large doses of antibiotics to prevent disease.
In the organic or Label Rouge version, guaranteeing healthier and more ethical breeding conditions and better nutritional quality, the price per kilo can soar to more than 20 euros per kilo, or even exceed 50 euros in organic supermarkets in Paris. . A price that is difficult to reach for many households. Consequences: faced with soaring food prices, in 2023, the French reduced their meat consumption by 3.7%, according to Agreste, the statistics service of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Cheaper, healthier options
Fortunately, the picture of the composition of our plates is not all bleak, even when we have a tight budget. A few tips and tricks allow you to reduce the bill while achieving your goal of eating better. We start by favoring seasonal fruits and vegetables. Produced locally, therefore cheaper than those imported from the other side of the world, like mangoes by plane which cost the price of half a free-range chicken, neither eco-friendly nor financially accessible. We will also avoid paying more than 8 euros per kilo of organic tomatoes grown in a heated greenhouse. We will rather wait for the return of good weather to eat mozzarella tomatoes again.
-A reflex which, in addition to being more virtuous for the planet, is better for our health: seasonal fruits and vegetables, picked when ripe, cover our specific vitamin and mineral needs each season. Thus, in winter, kiwis and citrus fruits, which are in peak season at the moment, provide our vitamin C needs, which strengthens our immunity and helps us to better resist lurking seasonal viruses. According to ANSES, for vitamin C, “the recommended nutritional intake for adults is 110 mg per day, 120 for pregnant women, and 170 for breastfeeding women”. In practice, two kiwis per day are enough to largely cover our needs. Enough to protect yourself from scurvy, a disease caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency, which is on the rise, particularly among children.
And rather than buying an industrial sauce rich in sugar and chemical additives, we will opt for a homemade sauce made from canned organic tomatoes. An economical and healthy solution: these tomatoes, cooked and packaged with their juice, are even richer in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant with numerous properties, notably anti-prostate cancer.
Tips and tricks to reduce the bill
Another tip that will delight late risers on Sunday to eat well while saving your wallet: go to the market by the bell. By going there shortly before the traders pack up, you can get good deals, often with a drop in the price per kilo or small gifts like “two for the price of one” on salads and other fruits and vegetables sold. to the room.
And since there are no small savings and we should all have the right to eat healthily without losing a kidney, there are also ways to eat organic without breaking the bank. This is what La Fourche, an online organic grocery store, offers. “It’s even our raison d’être, to make organic products accessible to all,” underlines Lucas Lefebvre, co-founder of the brand. But how? “The brand's economic model is based on membership, an annual subscription, at a price of 59.90 euros, which allows us to reduce our margins, while remunerating producers fairly and offering quality, organic, ethical and respectful of the environment and health, at prices up to 50% cheaper than in stores. We exchange loyalty for purchasing power. But because we know that the cost of membership can be an economic obstacle, it is free for all households in precarious situations.”
To go further, “we also created our brand, with our own range of products, and with each creation, we involve our members via a questionnaire: they can influence the composition, the recipe, the origin of the food, and therefore the price, explains Lucas Lefebvre. This allows us to offer them virtuous products that meet their expectations, such as canned tuna that meets European mercury thresholds, unlike most commercial references. But also a very strong offer of bulk, large formats, which we package ourselves, which allows prices to be lowered: 30% cheaper per kilo on average.” And bargain hunters will also be able to treat themselves with the anti-waste offer, “which allows us to offer products with short dates, for example groceries with a shelf life of less than three months, of which large retailers do not don't want to. This allows us to prevent quality, safely consumable products from ending up in the trash for several more months, and we offer them to our members with discounts of up to 70%.”
