France's parliament gave final approval to a "field-to-fork" law aimed at raising farmers' income, improving food quality, and fighting waste, reports Reuters. The bill allows the government to raise the threshold below which retailers cannot sell food products, by 10 percent, and to curb promotional offers so retailers cannot discount products by more than 34 percent of their value. Other measures of the bill include a ban on plastic water bottles in school canteens, animal welfare regulations, and environmentally-friendly practices.
Michel-Edouard Leclerc, CEO of supermarket chain Leclerc, claims the bill will lead to a price increase of between 1 and 10 percent on more than 3,000 items. Rather than helping farmers producing milk, eggs, meat, fruits and other primary products, Leclerc argues the measures would only bolster the profit margins of major manufacturers and retailers.
Farm unions have welcomed the attempt to improve prices, but blamed lawmakers for failing to agree on price benchmarks that take into account farmers' costs in contracts and might serve as a basis for negotiations down the food chain, according to the report. Full Story
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