In order to promote seasonal and local French products, the Les Mousquetaires group, which oversees the Intermarché and Netto brands, has taken a radical decision: to ban strawberries and cherries from its stalls during the months of December and January, and therefore those coming from Morocco.
This initiative is part of a broader desire to favor short circuits. The objective stated by the group is ambitious: by 2027, double the number of its local suppliers, thus increasing to 20,000 farmers located less than 70 km from points of sale.
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It must be said that the strawberries offered in winter in supermarkets mainly come from Spain or Morocco, where they are cultivated intensively, often above ground. As for cherries, rarer during this period, they generally arrive from Chile or South Africa.
Certainly, this measure has the merit of highlighting responsible consumption, but it only concerns a tiny part of the group's fruit and vegetable turnover, barely 1%, tempers BFM TV. It is clear that the consumption of strawberries and cherries in winter remains marginal.
The real challenge for the Musketeers lies elsewhere, particularly with tomatoes, the real star of French baskets. With 13.6 kg consumed per person each year, it represents the number one fresh vegetable on our tables. However, nearly 36% of the tomatoes consumed by the French are imported, mainly in winter, in the face of increased competition from Morocco, Belgium and the Netherlands.
