Before the 1960s, and the advent of supermarkets,bulk distribution was the only mode of presentation of consumer products in France. With the industrialization of the agri-food sector, the development of packaging (particularly plastic), the evolution of lifestyles, etc., bulk has disappeared in favor of pre-packaged products.
“The first self-service bulk sections dedicated to dry grocery products “reappeared” in organic stores in the 1980s, explains Célia Rennesson, general director of Réseau Vrac, on Vital Food.
And from 2012, dedicated stores were created in the form of fixed or mobile grocery stores. “In recent years, ecological awareness about eating better, food waste and overpackaging have brought bulk back into fashion, because it is a real alternative to all that.”
We don’t sell just anything in bulk
The health authorities have just looked into which products can be sold (and therefore purchased) in bulk and which cannot be, for public health reasons. A Decree, which entered into force on September 1, 2023, now applies to all businesses (small stores, hypermarkets, distance selling, etc.) that offer bulk sales.
“This Decree aims to guarantee compliance with good hygiene practices in the face of various risks (microbial contamination, accidents, etc.)” underlines the Directorate of legal and administrative information.
Food products whose sale in bulk is prohibited
Bulk sales are prohibited for the following products:
- Heat-treated liquid dairy products
- Raw milk, except when it is delivered in bulk directly to the final consumer by the seller who packages it in full view of the consumer or via an automatic liquid dispenser
- Infant formula and follow-on formula
- Cereal-based preparations and baby foods
- Foodstuffs intended for special medical purposes and substitutes for the total daily ration for weight control
- Raw materials for animal feed and compound animal feed
- Raw Foods for Pets
- Additives and premixes intended for animal feed
- Food supplements
- Frozen products.
7 good reflexes to have when buying in bulk
- I draw up my shopping list with the products and quantities I need (no more waste!).
- I equip myself with clean, suitable containers (fabric bulk bags, jars, metal boxes, bottles), or I buy them for the first time.
- I weigh my empty containers in store. I use or have them serve the quantity I want (without directly touching the product, it’s very well done!), closing my lids tightly.
- I pay the right quantity at the checkout, ensuring that everything is well labeled. At home, I transfer my products into clean, dry and suitable storage containers (in a glass jar for example, I visibly evaluate my stocks), which I store away from heat, humidity and light.
- I regularly wash my fabric bulk bags in the machine, my reusable boxes in the dishwasher or by hand: ready for my next trip!
Certain animal foods are allowed
The ban on bulk sales of raw materials for animal feed and compound feed for animals does not apply to: compound feed for animals obtained exclusively by mixing whole grains or fruits; compound animal feed delivered directly by the producer to the animal feed user; the quantities of compound animal feed intended for the end user whose weight does not exceed 50 kilograms to the extent that they come directly from a closed packaging or container.