From July 1, supermarkets will have to inform their customers when products on the shelves have seen their quantity drop without their price decreasing, according to a decree published in the Official Journal this Saturday, May 4.
It’s official since this Saturday, May 4: from July 1, all supermarkets of more than 400 square meters in France will be required to affix a label or a poster “visible” And “legible” near, or even directly on the packaging, of all the products affected by the “shrinkflation”indicates the decree from the Ministry of the Economy, noting the announcements made in mid-April by the government.
Reduced quantities and rising prices
There “shrinkflation” – from the English verb “to shrink”shrink -, consists, for manufacturers of consumer products, agro-industrialists or distributors, of reducing the quantities of products sold rather than increasing – too – significantly prices, in a context where food prices have already increased by 20% in two years.
For example, it is a tube of toothpaste with the same packaging as before, but with a lighter weight, which nevertheless sees its price rise, or even a packet of cereals that is lighter but more expensive.
Consumers will find the formula enshrined in the text: “for this product, the quantity sold increased from X to Y and its price at (specify the unit of measurement concerned) increased” of such percentage or such amount in euros.
Fine for non-compliance with display
However, bulk or pre-packaged foodstuffs whose quantity may vary during preparation, such as those in the deli section of supermarkets, are excluded.
In the event of non-compliance with this new display, the decree provides for an administrative fine of 3,000 euros for a natural person and 15,000 euros for a legal entity. Agents from the Directorate General for Competition and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) will be responsible for enforcing the new regulations and monitoring their application.
