There is reason to ask questions about the integrity of the opinions of these various consumer organisations or associations.
Here are some remarks on this subject.
60 million consumers
The magazine
60 Millions de consommateurs and its website 60millions-mag.com are published/managed by the
Institut national de la consommation (INC), one of whose main missions is to "group, produce, analyze and disseminate information, studies, surveys and tests". The INC has the status of
a Public Industrial and Commercial Establishment , placed under the supervision of the Minister responsible for consumption.
60 Millions de consommateurs is produced by professional journalists who work in close collaboration with the engineers, lawyers, economists and documentarians of the INC. 11 monthlies and 8 special issues are published each year.
Can we reasonably think that this body is independent? The string is a bit thick.
UFC - What to choose
The
Federal Union of Consumers - Que choisir , generally abbreviated to
UFC-Que choisir , is an
association under the 1901 law created in
1951 by André Romieu. Its purpose is to inform, advise and defend consumers. It is the first association in France to have been created under the sole banner of consumption. It brings together nearly 154 local associations with more than 150,000 members and providing 350 reception points spread across the whole of France. The managers of UFC-Que Choisir, both at the national and local levels, are volunteers.
It is one of the eighteen consumer associations recognized as representative by the public authorities in France. It presents itself as a federator of consumer expectations and needs in order to put pressure on the various players (industrialists, mass distribution, service providers,
etc. ).
UFC-Que Choisir takes action, particularly in court, to ensure that balanced relationships are established between producers, distributors and consumers so that the latter can assert their rights.
Consumer associations
Three of the largest consumer associations, UFC-Que Choisir, Familles Rurales and CLCV, deplore the "substantial" reduction in public subsidies granted to them.
All these people call themselves independent.
Is there not a permanent conflict of interest?
To all those who have the truth pendulum:
Present it above the magazines published by all these organizations. You will have nasty surprises!
