According to the Banque de France, food inflation is expected to reach around 2.3% in 2027. While this figure may seem reassuring, it can be misleading. Inflation statistics often confuse a slowdown in rising prices with a decrease in prices. For example, if food inflation drops from 12% to 1%, prices are still increasing, just at a slower pace. According to data from Insee, a food basket that cost 100 euros in August 2021 now costs nearly 124 euros, a 24% increase over five years. This increase is significantly higher than the overall inflation rate. The issue, as economist Jean-Luc Ginder points out, is not only inflation but the level of prices themselves. He notes that in 2024, 9.8 million people in Metropolitan France lived below the monetary poverty threshold. Poverty, he explains, begins silently when consumers stop buying what they need and start buying only what they can afford. Dominique Schelcher, head of Coopérative U, warns that prices for milk, meat, and processed products made from fruits and vegetables will continue to rise. This means that the cost increases for 2026 will be felt in shopping carts during the presidential campaign. While part of the solution may involve commercial negotiations, it would be unwise to protect consumers at the expense of farmers. A fair price for producers is essential for maintaining national food production. Arnaud Rousseau, head of the FNSEA, highlights that French farming is going through one of its most severe crises. He argues that it is crucial to revise the compensation for producers now. For some products, like a can of beans, this could mean adding just a few cents to the price. Rousseau also emphasizes the need to address the distribution of margins between retailers, manufacturers, and farmers. The real challenge, however, lies in the long-term structural issues in agriculture and industry. Decades of policies have led to repeated over-translations, hindered water storage, excessive regulations, and the removal of certain molecules without viable alternatives. These factors have accumulated over time and now result in higher costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers. As a result, the issue of food purchasing power cannot be resolved by simple measures such as checks or directives to retailers. The real solution lies in providing farmers with the means to produce effectively. This is the central debate of 2027. Any other approach, as the saying goes, is like applying a poultice to a wooden leg — it may provide temporary relief, but it does not address the underlying problem.