More and more French people are turning to charitable organizations for food as the rising cost of living leaves them struggling to make ends meet, France info reports. High prices are forcing many people to save money on food, take out loans, give up on entertainment and vacations.
Despite the slowdown in inflation, prices in France are still high, analyzes France info statistics for the past year. As a result, more and more French people are looking for cheaper offers and are forced to seek food aid.
On Wednesday, September 6, in Morman (Seine et Marne department), a charity market organized by the non-profit organization “People’s Aid” took place. It provided 400 people facing economic hardship with fresh produce, meat and school supplies for their children.
One of the participants in the event was Johnny, a 37-year-old butcher. He told a French TV channel that he hasn’t eaten breakfast recently:
“I only drink coffee.”
According to a joint survey by research company IPSOS and People’s Aid, 32% of French people, like Johnny, no longer eat three meals a day. His monthly salary of €1200 is not enough to feed a family with three children, two of whom are disabled.
“After paying rent, water, electricity and gasoline, there is €100 or €200 left to live on,” the butcher complains. He says the family eats pasta and rice but no longer buys fruit and vegetables, “We prefer to buy meat for the children,” he says.
“Yes, we make sacrifices,” Melody, 32, admits in turn. – Sometimes we skip meals for the children. She and her husband earn €2500 a month, but have long been unable to afford small pleasures. “This summer we didn’t go on vacation,” Melody told the TV channel. – To take the kids out for a bit, we had picnics.” Like her, 18% of French people use an overdraft every month because they are short of a paycheck. “My husband and I have five loans,” confesses Melody. – We take out loans to cover the overdraft, but it’s not a solution to the problem.”
Cecilia (name changed. – France info), 28 (name changed. – France info), a hospital inpatient employee who only this year turned to People’s Aid, finds herself in the same situation.
“A difficult time…” – is how she began her conversation with journalists. Her husband has lost his job and she alone earns about €1500 a month. “How are we supposed to survive on one salary with a rent of €1,000?” – the young woman resents. She complains that she can no longer go on vacation and go out to unwind in the evening. “We haven’t gone on vacation in years. We don’t spend money on entertainment anymore, we don’t go to McDonald’s,” says Cecilia. She believes that for a normal life she has enough “2,000 euros a month”.
According to a survey by IPSOS and People’s Aid, on average, the French call a person poor if his monthly income is less than €1377. By comparison, this amount is €275 more than the official poverty threshold adopted by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), and only €6 less than the minimum wage, writes France info.
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