Published on: January 03, 2025 | Article No: 291 | By: @rprasanth_kumar
Update 14/01/2025: On Tuesday, Parliament officially extended until the end of 2026 the possibility of using ticket restaurants to buy groceries in supermarkets.
From 1st January 2025, meal vouchers or ticket restaurants (cheque dejeuner) in France will no longer be usable for grocery shopping beyond immediate consumption items. After several years of expanded usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, their scope is returning to its original purpose: covering meals like sandwiches or prepared foods.
This change impacts nearly six million employees and could significantly alter household budgets. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming restrictions and their implications.
What changes are planned for Ticket Restaurants in 2025?
As of 1st January 2025, meal vouchers or ticket restaurants in France (such as Edenred’s Ticket Restaurant, Groupe Up’s Chèque Déjeuner, or Sodexo’s Pass Restaurant) will return to their original purpose: covering immediate food consumption.
- This means they can no longer be used for non-consumable groceries like flour, rice, pasta, sugar, raw meat, raw fish, eggs, cooking oils, etc.
- In addition to payments in restaurants, only ready-to-eat items such as sandwiches, meal boxes, pre-packed salads, snacks, fruits, vegetables, canned goods, bakery items (excluding pastries), diary products including yogurt, etc can be purchased in supermarkets.
- Additionally, the maximum spending limit per day will revert to €19, as it was before 2022.
Note: If you have any doubts, you can ask in the Supermarkets.
Why was the Usage Expanded in 2022?
Originally, meal vouchers were designed to help pay for meals under specific conditions—primarily in restaurants or for directly consumable products like pre-made salads and sandwiches. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their usage was expanded to include raw grocery items like rice, pasta, and eggs to ease the impact of restaurant closures.
This temporary measure, extended multiple times, was set to end on December 31, 2024, before a legislative proposal sought to extend it further.
Legislative Stalemate and Motion of Censure
A proposal passed by the French National Assembly in November 2024 aimed to extend the expanded usage until the end of 2025. However, due to a motion of censure against the government, two major consequences arose:
- The Michel Barnier government resigned, halting further legislative work.
- The Senate’s review of the proposal was postponed, leaving the law in limbo.
Without final Senate approval before the end, of 2024, the expanded use of ticket restaurants expired as planned.
What’s next in 2025?
The Senate has scheduled discussions on the proposal for 15th January 2025. If approved, meal vouchers may once again cover a broader range of grocery items.
However, until then, businesses will need to revert to the original list of eligible products and inform consumers of the updated rules.
Economic Impact
In 2023, meal vouchers accounted for €14 billion in spending, with €8.6 billion directed to restaurants and €2.9 billion to supermarkets. However, recent trends show a shift: the share spent in supermarkets rose from 22.4% in late 2022 to 30.1% by mid-2024, while restaurant usage declined.
This change in 2025 is a significant concern for consumers who have relied on the broader use of meal vouchers for everyday grocery shopping. Depending on future government decisions, the situation may either be resolved or remain a permanent shift back to the original, more restrictive rules.
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