Meat and poultry

The food scares of recent years and a growing awareness of health issues have slowed France’s meat consumption, but the country is still high on the list of European meat eaters. Although supermarket shopping is on the increase, and there is great concern for the future of town-centre individual food shops, a defensive government strategy has kept the grandes surfaces away from the hubs of even larger towns, and the majority of French shoppers still make weekly visits to the boucherie, volailler (poultry specialist) or charcuterie.