what the figures say, past the controversy over Macron's remarks | EUROtoday

Boiled potatoes and cottage cheese unfold on thick toast. This is the every day menu of French textile employees firstly of the twentieth century.^e century, described by the economist Jean Fourastié, in his well-known work The Thirty Glorious. Or the invisible revolution from 1946 to 1975 (Fayard, 1979). Food then represents greater than half of the family price range. 100 years later, it fell to 14%, in line with information from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) of 2021 (in present euros).

Should we subsequently conclude that France, this nation of 365 cheeses, is the one whose inhabitants would fairly pay for a Netflix subscription than eat correctly?

On February 24, on the International Agricultural Show, Emmanuel Macron vigorously denied the quote attributed to him by the every day The Marseillaise : “Smicards prefer VOD subscriptions to healthier food. » But he immediately added: “The problem we have in our country today is that the share of income that the French allocate to food in thirty years has fallen. » Before continuing: “People are spending more money on housing, on telephone subscriptions, on travel, on television. Their lifestyle has changed, and they spend proportionately less on food. » A remark which immediately earned the head of state accusations of “class contempt” from the left and the far proper mixed.

The figures, nonetheless, are on his facet, no less than partly. Food spending is by far the one which has fallen essentially the most for the reason that post-war interval, together with clothes. This is what economists name “Engel’s Law,” named after the German statistician who confirmed that the share of revenue spent on meals decreases as individuals change into richer. ” This is rather good newscomments Philippe Moati, professor of economics at Paris-Cité University, and founder of the Society & Consumption Observatory. People eat more and better, and the extra income is spent on other expenses. »

Explosion in the variety of products consumed

Collective enrichment shouldn’t be the one clarification: the agricultural revolution of the second half of the twentieth century^e century, the invention of intensive agriculture and European assist insurance policies additionally made it doable to drastically cut back meals costs because of productiveness good points “much more important in agriculture than in industry”, underlines Mr. Moati.

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