France is experiencing a butter shortage that is hampering the nation’s ability to make one of its iconic dishes.
The European country is known for a number of delicious breakfast and snack staples, including its cheeses and breads. One such bread is the croissant, which requires a healthy dose of butter to impress the French.
France is now experiencing difficulties in finding butter due to an increase in the global demand for the tasty dairy product. Supplies of butter have also been falling, resulting in higher prices for the product.
French supermarkets are willing to shell out the extra dough for butter, which has had an impact on producers across the boarder. There are also a number of French sauces and tarts that require butter.
“The issue is purely French and is related to the fact that there’s a price war raging between French retailers,”
Thierry Roquefeuil, chairman of the milk-producers’ federation FNPL, said in a phone interview from his farm. “French retailers refuse to increase prices, even by few cents, even for butter. Dairy producers see that there’s an outside demand at higher prices so they sell abroad, and rightfully so.”
The price of butter globally has almost tripled to 7,000 euros ($8,144) a ton from 2,500 euros in 2016. France is understating the butter shortage problems it is experiencing, but it is a real issue.
