Food aid associations join forces with farmers to fight against junk food

Arbois (Jura), report

Rice, pasta, some fresh vegetables, yogurts… On the shelves and in the fridges of the Panier Arboisien, a local branch of the Red Cross, volunteers pick up what they need to prepare packages, which they distribute every Tuesday and Thursday. In recent weeks, beef bourguignon has been added to the list of products slipped into the basket, sold for the symbolic sum of 2 euros.

Emmanuel Ogier, a heifer breeder at the Ferme de Germigney, in the Jura, has in fact reserved part of his meat for the food aid structure, to whom he offers a preferential rate: 10.80 euros instead of 11.80 euros per kilo. « I prepare portions of 500 g or 1 kilo », describes the producer. « It allows us to eat meat, which is rare »said Martine [*]picking up her shopping bag. « I couldn't buy one, adds Stéphanie [*]young mother. And it’s the same for fruits and vegetables… »

This is the idea of ​​the Miam project: to create a link between the agricultural world and that of food aid. It is supported by Civam, the center of initiatives to promote agriculture and the rural environment in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, and by Active, an association supporting the social and solidarity economy.

Logistical problems

« We started from several observations: an increase in the number of food aid beneficiaries, a drop in products recovered during collections in supermarkets, a demand for better quality products from beneficiaries, but also a drop in outlets. from certain producers »lists Marie Jonnard, responsible for this project at Civam.

These findings, which are not limited to the region, force food aid structures to diversify their supplies. While each operates according to its own organization, all rely largely on donations – unsold goods from supermarkets but also donations from agri-food industries – and on European aid products delivered to the four main food aid associations. Either the French Federation of Food Banks (FFBA), the Red Cross, Restaurants du coeur and Secours populaire. Faced with the decrease in volumes, and a lack of diversity of products collected, certain structures are seeking to turn more towards local producers.

« Producers do not have the reflex »

Setting up partnerships is not that simple. Even in a small territory, « producers do not have the reflex to contact food aid when they have surpluses »remarks Marie Jonnard. His colleague from Active, Alice Meunier, adds: « Volunteers are already very busy, and do not necessarily have the availability to change their mode of operation. »

Logistical problems can also arise: how to transport and store the recovered foodstuffs ? Structures like Solaal (Solidarity of agricultural producers and food sectors), or the Proxidon application, developed by the FFBAseek to unblock some of these obstacles, by facilitating connections and organizing transport. These solutions are not always known or developed in all territories, and the smallest producers often operate on a tight schedule, making surpluses rare or in reduced volumes.

However, initiatives arise from time to time, or even become structured over time. « We seek to develop voluntary donations, with partners who commit to programming part of their production for food banks »explains Barbara Mauvilain, director of the institutional relations department at the FFBA.

Structures dependent on subsidies

To counter the random nature of the donation, and to remunerate producers fairly, the structures also develop purchasing strategies. In this sense, the Better Eating for All fund (MMPT) had the effect of a small revolution: between 2023 and 2027, the State intends to release between 60 and 100 million euros per year to help food aid structures develop their local supplies, through direct purchase of foodstuffs — 40 million euros in 2023 — and the development of local experiments.

This program was judged « satisfying » the first year by the associations, according to a Senate report, but would be « unsuitable for emergency ». When compared to the 7 million beneficiaries of food aid, these amounts still seem very low, especially in times of inflation.

However, thanks to this help, Alexandra Guyon, project manager « local supply » to the BA of Franche-Comté, was able to carry out several operations: « We bought organic meat from a slaughtering cooperative in the Vosges, or even butternuts and pumpkins from a market gardener who suffered from hoar frost, who also added 1.3 tonnes of watermelons. Often the purchase is supplemented by the donation »assures the one whose position is also financed by MMPT.

In Loiret, Secours populaire uses this money to buy vegetables every month from a market gardener, to resell them at very low cost to its beneficiaries on « pop markets ». A new outlet for Guillaume Sampé, who already supplies Restos du Cœur and Secours catholique. « Environ 40 % of my vegetables are intended for food aid, which represents around 20 % of my turnover »calculates the market gardener, who manages to find his economic balance thanks to his other customers.

Town halls have an essential role

« Purchasing is the most manageable source of supplyunderlines Louis Cantuel, head of the institutional and strategic Restos division. They allow you to choose products, evolve their range and their origins. » Restaurants, whose model is historically based on a large proportion of purchased products, have signed local supply agreements since 2021. However, purchasing management remains centralized, as in food banks. Result: the room for maneuver of actors on the ground is sometimes limited. And the purchase « local » sometimes goes through platforms where negotiations leave little room for small farmers.

When they can, some volunteers turn to other funders: local authorities, foundations, corporate sponsorship, etc. But the majority remain dependent on public or private aid. « I always have the fear that the conventions will not be renewed »recognizes Guillaume Sampé.

Local policies thus play an essential role in the sustainability of initiatives: « When an elected official is dedicated to this issue, it makes things easier, specifies Marie Jonnard. Many levers can be activated thanks to local elected officials, such as connecting actors, lending premises or land. » In the Jura, the town of Champagnole has made 6,000 m2 available² of land to BA of the department, on which a market gardener produces vegetables which he sells entirely to this structure. In Besançon, a nourishing garden was set up by the city and the BA : a municipal agent as well as volunteers grow vegetables there, intended for the beneficiaries.

Miam's objective is therefore here: to bring out lasting projects, having a hybrid economic model, mixing self-financing and public and private financing. Among the solutions identified: gleaning, integration gardens… or even Social Food Security, which would no longer need to resort to the food aid system.

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