France Plans Sunday Use of Meal Vouchers and Permanent Supermarket Acceptance

Overview

• Minister Serge Papin said Saturday that a bill will be filed by summer to let all employees use France’s meal vouchers on Sundays, with a vote targeted before year‑end as part of a purchasing‑power drive.
• The proposal would make paying for groceries with the vouchers a permanent rule and would shift the system fully from paper slips to digital cards.
• Key operating rules remain unsettled, including possible different daily spending caps for restaurants and supermarkets, which outlets qualify as “essentially food,” and how public holidays will be treated.
• Restaurant groups UMIH and GHR condemned the plan, pressed for a higher in‑restaurant cap than in supermarkets, and warned some members may boycott voucher payments.
• About 5 million workers rely on the vouchers for meals and food shopping, and by late 2024 supermarkets took 31.5% of voucher spending versus 39.5% in restaurants, according to the national commission’s data.