“You have 42% of the most precarious French people who have deleted one meal a day”, launched Clémentine Autain, on the air of BFM TV on April 17. She was invited to react to the words of Emmanuel Macron who spoke at 8 p.m. live on television. According to the deputy of France Insoumise, citizens are forced to restrict themselves, even if it means putting their health at risk. The reason: rising prices.
“Are they going to have to be reduced to eating dead rats so that they finally stop entrusting the keys to power to the gravediggers of our country? “, react several Internet users. For many, this is a “shocking statistic for a country like France which claims to be developed”. What is it really ? 20 minutes make the point.
FAKE OFF
The MP even added on her Twitter account: “Increase in raw materials = 5%. Increase in food prices = 15%. Wage increase in the sector = 3%. Find the mistake… “
Obviously, Clémentine Autain did not visit the 42% of the most precarious French people, in order to check their number of meals per day. This is a statistic published by Ifop at the beginning of April. To the question: “Because of inflation (or rising prices), have you eliminated certain meals (breakfasts, snacks, dinners)? 42% answered yes. Thus revealing a trend since the beginning of the price increase, which is to reduce the quantities, as much as the quality according to other figures of the survey.
The rebellious deputy mentions the “42% of the most precarious French people”, because indeed, the institute questioned 1,000 people who do not earn more than the minimum wage, that is to say 1,350 euros net per month. This is obviously only a survey, but it still indicates a trend.
Still according to this Ifop survey, half of these modest people say they are reducing the portions at the table, buying fewer fruits and vegetables and consuming fewer prepared meals. On his side, INSEE, which has also studied the questionnotes a drop in meat consumption, a reduction in portions, or a search for low prices.
INSEE explains that “for the most modest, the price of the food basket has also increased more quickly, which may be due to the weight, a little more important in their food expenditure, of oils and other fatty products”. The two Institutes agree that low-income households are more affected by inflation than the wealthiest, and thus the changes in consumption are more marked there.