March 17, 2020. For the first time, the French are confined to their homes to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the population. The streets are deserted and the national climate tinged with tension, but also with a certain unity. The situation is unprecedented and has turned everyone’s lives upside down.

In supermarkets, some people rush for toilet paper, pasta, eggs or even flour, for fear of running out. Stock shortages then multiply, favoring the anxiety-provoking atmosphere that reigns in France. This phenomenon is not new, but this time has reached proportions which, added to the fear of the virus, are fueling the anxiety of the population.

Since then, more than three years have passed and, if confinement is no longer part of the daily lives of citizens, stock shortages have not disappeared. In February 2022, Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine. A new historic event which will also have its share of consequences for the daily lives of French consumers. Stock-outs and shortages are making a comeback and many products are disappearing from the shelves for long periods of time.

Thus, over the past year, households have almost become accustomed to this new reality even if for 74% of French people, it is not acceptable to see so many stockouts in a country like France.

This is revealed by an OpinionWay survey for SES-Imagotag carried out in February 2023 on a sample of people representative of the French population. The institute also looked at the products for which respondents have noticed stock shortages in recent months. Discover the foods concerned in our slideshow.