More than one in ten people deprive themselves of protein due to lack of money, according to INSEE

According to the INSEE study published on Thursday, 12% of French people restrict their purchases of meat, fish and other proteins due to lack of means. Which is not without risks to their health.

More than one in ten people in France deprive themselves of protein due to lack of money. This is the finding of an INSEE study on the level of poverty among French people in 2023, published on Thursday, July 12. In a context of high inflation in recent years, 13% of the population is cutting back on leisure activities and heating. And increasingly, also on food.

In this Secours Populaire solidarity grocery store, located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the shopping carts are filling up. “There are some vegetables, some oil, some salad”observes a customer browsing the aisles. Amina, a student, does the same. “Fish, and sometimes there’s chicken”. Proteins, which she buys when she can: “I would say two to three times a week at the most, no more. It costs money, I can’t afford to buy meat every day. Minced steaks cost money: for a student it’s not easy. It’s more like spaghetti with tomato sauce.”

For two euros at the checkout, she leaves with a full basket when the cost of food has increased by 15% between 2022 and 2023. Near the vegetable stalls, Théo Férignac, coordinator of food and material aid for Secours populaire de Paris, approaches a large freezer filled with frozen minced steaks. “It’s true that in the tank, like that, it’s a lotobserves the coordinator. We unfortunately have distribution quotas because we have limited stocks. We will be able to distribute one per person and per family, knowing that people come to see us once a month.”

“We are trying to find solutions to prevent our children from getting sick.”

Mira, mother of two teenagers

to franceinfo

However, demand is increasing. About 12% of the population cannot eat protein every two days due to lack of money. Last year, this figure was three points lower (9%). This increase is confirmed in a survey conducted among beneficiaries of Secours populaire, with Action against hunger. So in this solidarity grocery store, everyone tries to supplement nutritional intake in another way. “Proteins can be found elsewhereassures Mira, mother of two teenagers, who came to do her shopping. Not necessarily in fish or meat but in dried vegetables.”

These deprivations can lead to health problems, warns nutritionist Dr. Arnaud Cocaul. “If you have insufficient protein intake, it weakens you. That is to say, it reduces your muscle mass. So, you will burn fewer calories. Think of an extremely important muscle: the heart muscle. The heart can be weakened.”

The risk of getting sick, sprained or sciatica also increases when protein intake is insufficient. “We must have daily protein intake”hammers the nutritionist. Not easy for disadvantaged households, who according to INSEE are also increasingly turning off their radiators: nearly 12% of the population did not heat their homes sufficiently last year, compared to 10% two years ago.