Is Véran's hidden budget for a family of four correct?

• During his speech in the Senate, Wednesday July 21, Olivier Véran returned to the monthly budget devoted by a family of four to the purchase of masks against the Covid-19.
• According to him, the cost of reusable fabric masks fluctuate between fifteen and twenty euros per month.
• Are the calculations of the Minister of Health correct? 20 Minutes takes stock. 

"I also like mathematics like you. "Questioned, Wednesday July 22 in the Senate, by Senator Christine Prunaud on the price of masks, which would amount to" 200 euros per month for a family of four ", Olivier Véran engaged in a quick exercise of calculation to dispute this estimate.

“I hear, and I read here and there, that there would be a cost for a family of two children, of 220 euros per month. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I am committed to wearing masks which are not surgical masks, which I reserve for caregivers, but masks which are both washable, renewable and which certainly pollute less than masks intended for caregivers ”, replied the Minister of Health by way of preamble.

Olivier Véran again questioned on the price of masks in the Senate: "I arrive at a calculation closer to 15-20 € than to 220 €" pic.twitter.com/wxNYuQgCjj

Before continuing: “This mask [in fabric] costs 1 euro, it is washable and reusable up to thirty times. Let's say that you use three masks a day and that you need thirty days to wear a mask and that you are four, I arrive at a calculation which is closer to 15 euros, 20 euros at a pinch if we include the weekends. -ends, only 220 euros ”. 

If his calculations are correct in the example he has chosen, do they conform to the reality of the most current prices? Not really. 

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It should be noted first of all that the cost of around 220 euros per month for a family of four children of at least 11 years old - the age from which the wearing of a mask is compulsory in closed public places - only concerns masks disposable surgical devices, single use.

An estimate made by Le Parisien  and repeated on social networks, starting from their maximum selling price capped at 95 euro cents, thus results in a budget of 228 euros per month, with the use of two masks per day. Based on the example taken by Olivier Véran, ie daily use of three masks, it would however reach 342 euros per month for a family of four, or 85.5 euros per person.

#masksObligatory: it's a budget, up to 228 euros per month for a family >> https://t.co/fFHm3tdBmc pic.twitter.com/3BR67B3nri

But for the Federation of Commerce and Distribution (FCD), contacted by 20 Minutes , “Olivier Véran's comments on the fact that this figure of 220 euros is far from reality are exact, insofar as the prices of Single-use masks are much lower than the maximum price of 95 cents which served as the basis for this calculation, and this since the start of their sale in supermarkets from May 4. "

“Today, we can estimate that single-use masks are sold on average between 50 and 60 cents by distributors,” she continues.

The price of 60 cents per item is consistent with that noted at the end of May by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) after the control of 5,673 various establishments (supermarkets, pharmacies, etc.): “The majority [surgical] masks is sold at a price of around 60 euro cents, particularly in supermarkets. "

This can be confirmed thanks to an overview of the prices currently practiced in various major brands: 50 cents per mask at Auchan and Leclerc, 59 cents at Intermarché and Géant.

Calculated on the basis of 60 euro cents per unit, the monthly cost of surgical masks for a family of four would however amount to 216 euros - based, to stay on the example of Olivier Véran, on a use of three masks per day.

"A fabric mask at 1 euro reusable thirty times, that is a very optimistic hypothesis"

What about the price of reusable sheet masks? In the same infographic, Le Parisien estimates the cost of a fabric mask that can be reused ten times, and sold 3 euros per unit, at 96 euros per month for four people, starting from the use of two fabric masks per week , or about three times a day.

A price that is closer to reality than the estimate put forward by the Minister of Health, as confirmed by Mathieu Escot, deputy director of political action at UFC-Que Choisir, at 20 Minutes  : “The 20 euros per month mentioned by Olivier Véran are based on a very optimistic hypothesis, that of a fabric mask at 1 euro reusable thirty times. There is no average price for fabric masks because they are sold in too many different places, but 1 euro per unit, that seems very optimistic since a mask that is washable thirty times costs more between three and four euros. "

The FCD also underlines the impossibility of establishing an average price on this type of mask: “It is much more difficult to assess price ranges. Between a mask reusable 5 times and 30 times there will logically be a price difference, but it is the price per use, that is to say reduced to the number of uses, which is relevant. Other criteria can also cause the price of reusable masks to vary: the types of fabrics, their appearance, etc. "

In its first report at the end of May, the DGCCRF noted for its part that the “selling price [of textile masks] turns out to be on average less than 50 cents per use, regardless of the sales channel. . "

In mid-July, the Public Service site noted that "the price of a fabric mask for the general public is between 2 euros and 3 euros, or a cost per use of 10 to 30 euros depending on the number of washes and possible reuses. " 

For a similar use, a fabric mask remains cheaper than a surgical mask

As of July 23, an observation of the various sites of large brands as well as specialized online sellers shows that a fabric mask generally costs at least 2.5 euros per unit - without its possible number of reuse. is always indicated. 

"That being said, a fabric mask actually costs less than a disposable mask: even by multiplying Olivier Véran's figure, we arrive at a total of 50 euros per month for four people, which remains less expensive than masks disposable, ”concludes Mathieu Escot. More precisely 36 euros, for three reusable masks thirty times sold for three euros per unit. And a little over a hundred euros with a more realistic estimate of masks sold at the same price but allowing only ten reuse.

In addition to mass distribution and physical retailers, the best solution, for individuals looking for the cheapest solution to equip themselves with fabric masks, may still be to turn to the platform of solidarity masks of Afnor, where manufacturers offer them at cost or even free.

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