The French government is taking precautionary measures in the face of a looming food crisis. The authorities will issue food vouchers within a framework of an “emergency food aid” included in the state budget for next year. The decision rests on the experience gained during the COVID pandemic when French people were provided with financial aid and basic groceries. So, the authorities are likely to meet the challenge.
Priority will be given to low-income households. One of the relief measures in the government’s arsenal is food vouchers, spokesperson Gabriel Attal unveiled the official plans. For the time being, the government is developing a scheme of how to put this idea into practice. In tandem with the Ministry of Agriculture, the authorities aim to introduce such food coupons in 2023.
Back in March, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his set of proposals concerning aid to the population to mitigate the consequences of the looming food crisis. Indeed, the poorest households are the most vulnerable to sky-high consumer prices. The annual CPI rate in France leapt to 5.2% in May, the highest reading in a few decades. By contrast, inflation in Russia topped 17% in May in annual terms and nobody in power cares about a modest relief package for the population.
