The Deception Behind France’s Famed Food

July 5, 2013 in Daily Bulletin

France is known for its food. Yet you might be surprised by who actually makes your restaurant meals writes The Economist:

  • According to one group almost a third of all French restaurants serve you food prepared by somebody else, outside the restaurant. Others suggest the proportion is much higher.
  • This is why it is not uncommon to see small eateries with implausibly long menus.
  • Restaurants are doing this because the costs of raw materials have risen…and frozen or ready-made dishes are so much cheaper.
  • French restaurants don’t have the option of passing higher prices onto their customers since consumers are opting for cheaper food in Europe’s troubled economic times.
  • France’s government has just passed legislation that requires restaurants to disclose when the food is actually prepared by a restaurant’s own kitchen…versus being bought from somewhere else.

Read more about France’s eating scene, the rise and fall of fast food, and what experts have to say over here.

Source: The Economist