Rising Fuel Costs Squeeze French Bakers

Kevin and Sandrine Luce fire up their oil-fired oven each morning north of Paris to bake baguettes at 270 degrees Celsius. In March they paid 2,230 euros for 2,000 liters of heating oil; last week the same sum bought 1,200 liters after prices rose with the Iran war that began Feb. 28, 2026. Kevin Luce said, "Originally, it was a good deal, because initially, a fuel-heated oven is more economical than an electric one. That is until the price (of fuel) increased by 50%. So, yes, now it's not a good deal." He added, "All this superfluous expenditure on energy represents a loss of earnings. It's salary we can't take, it's salary increases we can't give to our employees. It's investments we can't make." They have kept the basic baguette at 1 euro and the traditional at 1.10 euros. About one quarter of France’s more than 34,000 bakers, who produce roughly 6 billion baguettes a year, use oil- or gas-fired ovens. Martial Realland sold his home to buy a food truck. Diesel fill-ups climbed from 120 euros to 200 euros, so he turns down jobs that need long drives. "It really hurts. It's catastrophic," he said. Of a possible 2,500-euro bill to fill his 1,500-liter tank this winter, up from 1,600 euros last year, he said, "I'm scared (of that bill)." Around 21 million people, one-third of the population, live in rural France, nearly 90% of the country’s territory. The government this week announced a 450 million euro aid package. Christine Loir said, "People are extremely worried. People say that if fuel prices don't come down, they'll stop going to work." No factual disputes found.