If the economic crisis linked to the coronavirus is likely to slow down the good eating habits adopted by the French during confinement, the latter will nevertheless have had the merit of shaking things up at the level of the agri-food industry, analyzes Sylvain Zaffaroni, co -founder of the committed media Pour Nurrir Demain.
- The agri-food industry has allowed the French to continue to stock up during confinement
- A specialist notes a return of short circuits in this sector
- The other effect of the crisis is an advance in organic and more environmentally virtuous productions
Confinement has pushed the French to consume more responsibly. According to an OpinionWay survey for Max Havelaar, carried out on the eve of May 11, for 69% of French people this crisis is “the illustration that we must change our consumption patterns for more responsible products (local, organic, fair trade, without packaging etc.)”. But consuming better has a cost and, with the onset of the economic crisis, these new good habits may not last very long. Indeed, according to a other study (PwC France carried out with Kantar), from now on, the majority of French people (43%) intend to make price their main decision-making criterion when they go to the supermarket. But for Sylvain Zaffaroni, co-founder of To feed tomorrowmedia created in 2015 with the aim of providing solutions for better food in France, if the crisis is hampering good resolutions by consumers, it will nevertheless have had the merit of changing the situation in the food industry .
At the time of confinement, “the French agri-food industry, as well as many SMEs and craftsmen, were able to cope in a few days. The latter had to change their ways of producing, activate logistics systems, make partnerships with distribution while they were at war before the Covid. Result: there was no shortage other than that caused by people who panicked and emptied the shelves. It is nevertheless to be noted, ”recalls Sylvain Zaffaroni to Why Doctor.
“Agro-food is complex,” he insists. “Before a product hits the shelves, there are hundreds of steps and it all got much shorter in just a few days.” From now on, “the French will be more grateful to the farmer”, he hopes, recalling that many brands “often national, have also been able to cope”. For the specialist, those “who have been the most reactive in the face of Covid are those which produce in France such as Alpina Savoy, which makes its pasta in Savoie and has a packaging system in Pays de la Loire, for example”. “Our system may not be perfect, but it made it possible to feed everyone from the first day of confinement,” he continues.
The health crisis has given brands “the desire to be more virtuous”
Also, if the health crisis should slow down product innovations as such in the coming months, this should on the contrary improve the upstream production process. “Brands will try to anticipate future crises, health or economic. This event accelerated their desire to be more virtuous, to set up eco-designed factories that use less energy, to reduce packaging, to be more in tune with the consumer… Today, brands want avoid having to call on China. What happened after the Second World War is happening: we want to produce French for the French. The change of system will also have an ecological impact because it will generate much less transport and much more reasoned cultures”, argues Sylvain Zaffaroni.
The latter and Marion Mashhady, with whom he founded To feed tomorrowintend to launch a community of the same name to make “brands work together with experts to build better food” from June. “We have cast 18 brands that we know and that we know are sincere in moving towards more positive food in France. Like D’aucy, which is moving into agro-ecology and intends to switch to organic in the next five years, or Fleury Michon, which is going to intensify the organic sector in France… These are projects that were already launched before the Covid but the crisis has accelerated”, explains the expert. “Today, the changes are so violent that brands have to help each other. The idea is therefore to have them work together with experts, to ask them once a month to come together around a new theme, such as “How to reduce packaging” for example. This program is expected to last one year. Then, we will see if this way of working and exchanging can really change the world of the agrifood industry,” he explains.
In their desire to be more virtuous, the brands will be able, we hope, to count on the support of the French who can. According to the PwC France / Kantar study, 36% of French people now intend to favor traders who have worked positively in the fight against the coronavirus and 26% want to show solidarity with traders who have suffered. Finally, whether the food of tomorrow is organic or not, it should refocus above all on basic and raw products. The confinement has given many people the desire to cook. In fear of a second wave, they should continue, for a few months at least, to buy a lot of flour, eggs and vegetables to peel, not necessarily more expensive, quite the contrary. Thus, “we are going to echo what was done during confinement for a long time”, predicts Sylvain Zaffaroni.
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