French producers' outrage at Auchan's 79 cent strawberries
With the arrival of the season's first strawberries, Auchan has launched a well advertised campaign: 500g punnet of Spanish strawberries for €0.79.
Jacques Rouchaussé, President of the professional association, Légumes de France, fumes that the company is taking the risk of making ''the whole sector begin the 2014 strawberry season with destructive crisis prices.''
The sector often criticises such campaigns, this time the President will not take any particular action against Auchan, but as there is ''the risk of giving the idea to other companies: we will be vigilant''.
In Spain, the average sales price at production goes from €1.80 - €1.90/kilo and consumer price is €3.70/kilo. Yet Légumes de France notes that the same punnet is offered at around €2/500g at import.