Bakers are protesting as some large supermarkets in France sell a baguette for 470 won.
The French daily Le Figaro reported on Sept. 1 (local time) that a baguette priced at 29 cents (approximately 470 won) has appeared in large supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi at the start of the new school year.
In bakeries across France, baguettes are sold for an average of 1.09 euros (approximately 1,700 won) each. The supermarket price is about 70% cheaper.
Dominique Anrak, president of the National Confederation of Bakery and Pastry (CNBP) in France, protested the sale of such cheap baguettes by supermarkets. He expressed concern that this would lead to a downward standardization of the entire baking industry, referring to it as a "customer bait."
It has been analyzed that the sale of baguettes at around 400 won in supermarkets is possible due to lower labor costs compared to ordinary bakeries. Rent and utility costs, which account for about 20% of the baguette price, are not reflected in the supermarket's baguette prices.
Anrak stated, "Labor costs account for more than 40% of the production expense at bakeries," adding, "Artisanal bakeries take longer to knead the dough, shape it by hand, and bake it on-site. Fermentation alone can take several hours."
In contrast, the baguette-making process in large supermarkets is automated. Anrak said, "(Factories) can produce 10,000 baguettes an hour, but a baker can only make 400 to 600 a day," adding, "There are no people in the supermarket, only machines."
However, it is said that large retailers account for only about 9% of the overall baguette market.