I'm constantly impressed by the array, quality, and usually the reasonable price of fresh food in France: vegetables, fruit, bread... So why would the French serve pre-prepared frozen food to guests?
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1. Why do the French adore frozen food?
The quality and range of superb fresh food in France is something to write home about. Often, when I’m at a fresh market, I overindulge and go home with too much food, even though I’m only shopping for meals for a couple of days. So much tempting food! Restraint is my constant challenge!
Whilst the quality and the quantity have made food tempting, food prices seem to be rising everywhere and France is no exception. Overall, food in France is more expensive than the average of the 19 countries that currently use the euro as currency. According to Eurostat data and price level index, food prices in France were 11 percent higher than the EU average in 2021, and 20 percent higher for fruit, vegetables, and potatoes.
Recently anyone wandering around a French supermarket will find the prices significantly higher than in the UK or US. On the other hand, the fruit and vegetables have real flavour and the meat isn't injected with water and antibiotics, so we would contend that it's worth paying more for.
Picard Surgelés
Picard is a retail store chain selling ONLY FROZEN food products, which are very high quality, very easy to cook at home, and taste as good as fresh products cooked in restaurants…
Well before the Covid Pandemic and recent price rises, the French population has been in love with the frozen food available at French company Picard Surgelés. These products are distributed in Picard stores and on their website. Today, the company is the leader in France in the frozen food category and when you look closer its not surprising.
Picard began in 1906 when two brothers had the idea of creating a factory of ice packs to preserve food. In 1920, this company was bought by Mr. Picard and in 1962 his son decided to market frozen food products. In 1974, the first Picard shop was opened. Picard has 1,070 stores in France, and opens an average of 30 new stores a year. According to Harvard:
Picard has created over time a successful innovative operating model that is fully aligned with its business model and differentiating against the competition.
(Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP)
Let’s ask the locals about Picard
I asked the members of MyFrenchLife private Facebook group to tell me why Picard was SO popular and they went mad :) Here is a very limited selection… I’m sold on Picard, after reading these alone! What about you?
Lis who lives in Provence said:
Love Picard for several things…if you have not tried their thaï chicken balls…my husband makes a wonderful thaï inspired sauce…so we have these with spaghetti or rice…personally I am in heaven…
Their frozen herb section is great…as many herbs are not easy to come by in France… Very good selection of Chinese, Japanese, Thaï ready meals…all very good…
Are they cheap?…no they are not… as for desserts I have found pretty much several much cheaper in Lidl… We buy fresh produce all the time… but the above is not to be sniffed at!
Shannon from Paris said:
Good food, good selection/variety. Prepared foods almost always without any artificial ingredients, additives, preservatives, etc. Frozen doesn't equal bad/bad for you. I love Picard!
Blake says:
Good prices for good quality. We buy both frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables. Picard is often less expensive. Their frozen meals are pretty good too. They have several categories with different prices.
Where we live there’s a Picard in the parking lot of the RER A station and it’s always packed in the evening when people get off the train and stop by Picard on their way home.
They also do fabulous holiday hors d’ouvres and desserts. We often joke that Mme Picard made our dinner or cocktail. [FYI Franco American family of five.]
Vernice from Paris says:
I still shop and prepare the old fashioned way when in France because it is fun to do but many of my young neighbors have Picard deliveries and use the microwave. One two year old neighbor goes”yum yum” every time she hears the microwave buzzer go off! And knows what Picard means!
Suzanne from Provence says:
The French like to have their cupboards, fridge and freezer packed to the brim. Picard is excellent quality and everyone knows it. Whether it be a last minute idea or pain au chocolat (which I haven’t tried but everyone raves they’re as good as fresh) Picard is always a good option.
They even do full on gourmet meals. You should see the Christmas menu.
French people work too and don’t always have time to market shop.
Convenience and good taste appeal to the French
Convenience and good taste appeal to the French and that’s the appeal of Picard. What they also like is the variety of products on offer. At Picard, the French often find products that they have difficulty obtaining elsewhere. Certain herbs, sauces, and dishes from other countries concocted by Picard cannot be found in other stores. Prices may be higher than other brands, but Picard guarantees originality, variety, and quality. These are features that appeal to the French!
For several years now, Picard has been part of everyday French life. Locals welcome the original gourmet recipes that the brand offers. Whether it’s as a treat or for everyday meals, Picard is the favourite frozen food chain of theFrench people. A safe bet for meals!
But don’t let me try to convince you to have a look yourself - here is their summer catalog, and their website is full of recipes and meal ideas as well as mountains of products. If you only have one ingredient they can come up with suggested meals.
What is your favourite Picard product? Please share any dinner party stories where you used Picard products and passed them off as your own…
When people think of French mustard, they usually think of Dijon, the most popular mustard in the world. In the United States, they probably think of Grey Poupon, remembering the funny ads that once made this brand of Dijon mustard a luxury item. Discover more…
La Guerre de 1870, or the Franco-Prussian War, ended with German forces completely defeating the French armies. A National Assembly was hastily elected to negotiate a peace treaty with Germany. During the period of political turmoil that followed, the official French government was established in Versailles. But a revolutionary group of communards, unhappy with the way the war had been conducted, seized power in Paris in March 1871. They ran the capital for a mere seventy-two days before they were bloodily suppressed.
Introduction of new Contributor and columnist Julien Hoez -
Born in France, now living in Brussels, Julien's political snapshots will help MyFrenchLife readers stay up to date on French & European politics in just a couple of minutes.
MyFrenchLife Magazine is not a political publication, therefore this new column UNDERSTANDING FRANCE will provide SNAPSHOTS of the big stories in France each week. Then should you be interested to know more, you can click through to his site The French Dispatch for more in-depth coverage of each story.
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I shopped at Picard all the time when we lived in Paris! I lived the frozen sauces, which are packaged as ice cube-sized balls that you thaw in the pan. We also ate their frozen meatballs and the delicious frozen galette du roi!
i cannot buy most of the prepared foods at Picard. take a good look! they are loaded with salt. small portions at hugh prices!
I shopped at Picard all the time when we lived in Paris! I lived the frozen sauces, which are packaged as ice cube-sized balls that you thaw in the pan. We also ate their frozen meatballs and the delicious frozen galette du roi!