Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: MAGALI COHEN / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 6:37 p.m., January 29, 2024

The threat of farmers blocking the Rungis market poses a risk of food shortages in the catering sector. But when it comes to large-scale distribution, whose supply chains are different, the risks appear to be over. Unless the nature of the road blockages changes.

The Île-de-France pantry in the viewfinder of farmers. Determined to make their anger heard, the latter have set up, since 2 p.m. this Monday, eight blockade points around the capital and plan to paralyze the Rungis international market which supplies all professionals in the region with fresh agricultural products. . More than 8,000 tonnes of goods are delivered there daily for a turnover of around 27 million euros. A possible blockage of this hotspot logically raises questions about the availability of products in supermarkets in the coming days.

But in reality, mass distribution should not be penalized. “The brands source their supplies little, if at all, from Rungis since they have their own logistics circuits,” says the Federation of Commerce and Distribution (FCD). “I am not aware of any brand that goes through Rungis. They have their own storage outside of Rungis,” adds Philippe Goetzmann, specialist in mass distribution.

No major supply difficulties in mass distribution

The latter, however, identifies a risk linked to the increase in road blockages. “We must monitor the capacity to transport trucks to Paris. If you have a logistics warehouse blocked by tractors, nothing can get out,” argues the expert. But unlike other sectors, mass distribution has several days of stock. “On consumer products, in a hypermarket, we have 20 days of stock and for fresh products, we are around seven days,” explains Philippe Goetzmann. 

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For the moment, major retail players assure that they are not encountering any major supply difficulties. “We have no specific feedback from our members,” the FCD confirms. Especially since some distributors manage to bypass road traffic. “In Paris, Franprix supplies by barge. There are trucks in Paris, but it is the barge that is unloaded in a Parisian port. A whole part of their flow passes through there,” illustrates Philippe Goetzmann. 

If mass distribution is doing well, for the moment, it is difficult to say the same about restaurateurs, who are much more dependent on deliveries from Rungis. A single day of blockage would deprive all establishments of meat, fresh fish and vegetables, due to storage capacities which do not exceed 48 hours.