LE FAST FOOD GAINING GROUND
All is not well in the French food-service industry, A recent study by the research group NPD showed that the cut in value-added tax in restaurants last July from 19.5 percent to 5.5 percent has not benefited traditional restaurants, and that, most shockingly, three-quarters of restaurant visits were to fast-food establishments. A new association, VEGR (Vrais Etats Généraux de la Restauration), with the motto “Think global, eat local,” has been formed in Paris to fight back, calling for higher quality and better nutritional values in French restaurants. Independent restaurant owners and winemakers, union and association representatives, nutrition specialists and food journalists participated in the first meeting of on Jan. 26. Visit the Web site for more information.