By Aurélie H
– Published on Sep 28, 2024 at 08:00
Are there any scams on the markets in France? An alert for 60 million consumers has been launched…
Throughout the year, many people choose markets to stock up on fruit and vegetables rather than buying them in supermarkets. During the summer, markets also have a good reputation. Holidaymakers s ‘come there every week to do their shopping, but also to discover regional products. But over the years, customers have become more vigilant. From now on, products made in France are much more favored, particularly with regard to fruits and vegetables. It must be said that on supermarket shelves, many of them are imported from Europe or elsewhere.
Deceptive practice on the sale of fruits and vegetables in markets
But who says “walk” does not necessarily mean 100% reliability. 60 million consumers then decided to alert the French about the food products sold on the markets. In the latest investigation of its Special Edition, the association denounces in particular illegal commercial practices which are spreading more and more in the aisles of French markets.
It turns out that on certain stalls, fruits and vegetables are miraculously labeled “French products”even though they were imported. “People go to the markets with confidence, thinking that it will be better than in the supermarket. And in the end they are perhaps much more fooled”declared a DGCCRF inspector to 60 million consumers.
Market controls are becoming more and more frequent
Marie Suderie, spokesperson for the DGCCRF, indicated that “since January 1, more than 4,600 checks of French origin (out of 10,000 planned this year) have been carried outat all stages of distribution (producer, wholesaler, greengrocer). The anomaly rate is 34%“.
This practice is obviously illegal and reprehensible, since its objective is to falsify in order to sell at a much higher price. The customer is therefore doubly deceived: he pays more and expects better quality, which is not the case.
How to spot market scams?
But then, how can we avoid falling into the trap? The 60 million consumers association indicated that there were some tips. In the markets, you must first trust the labels on fruits and vegetables. But that’s not all… To avoid being scammed, it is even better to refer to the inscriptions on the crates.
These will indicate the country of origin of the products sold. Obviously, this is not a reliable science… Dishonest sellers have more than one trick up their sleeve and some are careful not to leave all this information in plain sight.
Organic products not always organic…
60 million consumers even indicated that resellers were collecting crates labeled in France to store fruits and vegetables of foreign origin. Some even go further in their misleading sales practice by putting the label “organic” on certain products, when this is absolutely not the case. In short, on the markets, you must also remain vigilant to avoid scams.
