French poultry giant Groupe Doux has urged retailers to act “responsibly” in the face of rising grain costs after talks with two grocers to increase prices stalled.

Doux, which claims the cost of poultry feed has jumped 30% as grain prices rise, said France’s retailers had not increased their prices since January.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The poultry processor said talks with two retailers had hit an impasse and warned of “dramatic” consequences for farmers and for jobs if an agreement is not reached.

Doux managing director Guy Odri said yesterday (14 October): “The situation is untenable for the industry if we do not reach an agreement with all the French distributors. It is now urgent that everyone, throughout the chain, adopt a responsible attitude.”

If retailers do not raise their prices, Doux has warned it will have “no alternative” but to pay farmers less and to cut jobs at some production sites as the company redirects volumes to export markets.

Doux said neither of these options was “desirable” but said retailers needed to up their prices by 15% “in line with increases seen in the global market”.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact