While food inflation has become a concern for European governments from Britain to Italy recently, France has been among the most aggressive in pushing price cuts.
In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has imposed mandatory price cuts on some basic food items.
But food prices still were up 14% last month after a record spike of almost 16% in March.
Food prices surged after food companies and big retailers agreed in March to an average 10% increase in prices, responding to a surge in input prices the previous year and wages after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the food industry has seen profits surge, largely making up for sharp falls during the pandemic, Le Maire said.
Persons:
Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, BFM, Viktor Orban, Maire, Knorr, Kraft Heinz, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Leigh Thomas, Richa Naidu, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Mark Potter
Organizations:
Food, Unilever, Finance, Reuters, Ministry of, Nestle, Danone, Pepsico, Thomson
Locations:
PARIS, France, Britain, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine