Paris (AFP)
Bakeries will be able to be open seven days a week thanks to a waiver from the Ministry of Labor, said Tuesday the Federation of bakery companies, stormed by consumers in the midst of a health crisis.
"We have obtained an exemption allowing us to open bakeries seven days a week, to allow the sale of breads seven days a week and to meet the huge demand" of consumers confined to their homes to fight against the spread of Covid-19, said Matthieu Labbé, general delegate of the Federation of Bakery Companies.
So far, a nearly centenary law provides that bakers close at least one day a week in France.
"We have seen people arriving who want to buy 50 baguettes at once, there is a kind of psychosis in some people," he said. "We had to explain to them that they had to ask for a limited amount of chopsticks."
"The exemption will allow the French to be able to buy bread without stress every day," he said.
"In any case, we are widely supplied with flour, yeast and salt, there is no problem in producing bread," he said. "If we find people, we will even be able to hire," he said.
He admitted problems of access to protective masks for bakers facing customers. "In some regions, there is a lack of masks, we have regular calls with the government on the subject," he said.
The Federation represents 33,000 outlets for fresh bread in France, including 26,000 artisan bakers.
The influx of requests occurred mainly in outlets near food malls, which were taken over by consumers before government containment announcements.
Each Frenchman consumes on average 135 grams of bread per day, compared to around 400 grams in the 1950s.
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