French grocery prices rise from March 2026 warned by Coopérative U chief Dominique Schelcher, Digi Mart USA News: Inflation and a farming crisis following a scorching summer could push up the cost of French grocery shopping. Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, warned that there will be several additional points of inflation on the grocery basket starting next March.
He cited higher transport costs, rising prices for imported packaging, and wage increases as the drivers. In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche, Schelcher said annual commercial negotiations between supermarket chains and food manufacturers, scheduled to begin December 1, are already being boycotted by many distributors, including the U federation.
Schelcher justified the collective boycott by saying the government has not acted against a lack of transparency from manufacturers about their prices. He said the heatwave and drought this summer may justify higher prices for some fruits and vegetables, but some players are using them to inflate prices without a real reason.
Thierry Cotillard, head of the independent buying group Mousquetaires, which runs Intermarché, told Le Monde that more than 15% of requests for price increases are false. He gave the example of a supposed product innovation that changes a barcode and makes comparison with the previous price invisible if buyers are not attentive.
According to the consumer group Que Choisir Ensemble, food inflation was about 1.8% year-on-year in October 2026, compared with overall inflation of 3.4% over the same period. Schelcher said the average shopping cart price has not moved, and that INSEE confirms food prices have remained stable.
He also noted that nearly one in two people struggles to make ends meet. “The capacity of French people to absorb new increases is very limited,” he said.
