French food producers grapple with water limits, egg shortages and crop failures
In September, French manufacturers such as Ninkasi Fabriques, Astruc biscuitery and the Eureden cooperative said they had to curtail production because of a prefectural water-use restriction, egg shortages caused by heat and a disastrous vegetable harvest.
At the start of September, David Hubert, industrial director of the Tarare-based brewer Ninkasi Fabriques, reported that a new prefectural decree limiting water use forced the company to delay its whisky distillation and focus on beer production. In Seine-et-Marne, Christian Astruc, head of the family-run Astruc biscuitery, said the firm now schedules its baking day-by-day depending on the availability of eggs, which have been scarce since the recent heatwave.
In Brittany, the Eureden cooperative, which processes vegetables for canned goods sold under the D’Aucy brand and private-label lines, saw its processing lines run at reduced capacity after a severe failure of the green-bean and pea harvest. The slowdown hit hourly seasonal staff, some of whom left work early because the reduced output made their jobs untenable, according to general manager Marie-Gabrielle Daniel. These constraints illustrate the growing tension between large retailers and agro-industrial producers over food-price pressures.
Why it matters
The story shows how environmental limits and supply shortages are disrupting French food production and affecting workers.
In this story
