Restaurant vouchers: Government ‘exploring’ expanding their use for food purchases

Changes will have to wait. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday he was “in favor” of extending beyond 2023 the ability to use food vouchers to buy all food items, saying he was “exploring” a way to achieve this goal. Therefore, this measure, which allows beneficiaries to purchase products such as pasta, rice, oil, meat and fish using restaurant vouchers, can be extended.

“I am in favor of us extending beyond December 31, 2023, this provision allowing the use of restaurant vouchers for the purchase of food,” Bruno Le Maire told the Senate Economic Affairs Committee when the restrictions were expected to come into force on January 1 2024.

Released from October 2022

From 1 January 2024, it will theoretically no longer be possible to purchase non-consumer products directly from restaurant vouchers in supermarkets. This exception came into force in October 2022 with the aim of increasing the purchasing power of the French. It ends on December 31, 2023, as noted on the Ministry of Economy website.

In these restaurant vouchers, SME Minister Olivia Gregoire indicated at the beginning of October that she wants to move to 100% dematerialization “before 2026.” “We will advise and support companies that are still on paper,” Olivia Gregoire said at the time. She noted that five million French people have used restaurant vouchers.

The non-renewal of this exception worries many restaurant voucher users. Anthony, a computer scientist from Sergin (Yonne), and his wife use them for fruits and vegetables. He told us he used it “twice a week to run errands” because of the ceiling. The latter, increased last October from 19 to 25 euros per day, will not change on January 1, 2024, says the ministry responsible for SMEs.