Overview
- The amendment would charge franchised fast-food outlets €50,000 at opening and €10,000 annually, with both amounts doubled for locations within 300 meters of a school.
- Ecologist deputies filed the measure as part of the 2026 finance bill, positioning it as an anti–junk food tool to curb proliferation and protect young people.
- Health Minister Stéphanie Rist described the idea as a potential behavioral public-health tax that could have value if paired with other measures.
- The French Franchise Federation urged lawmakers to reject the plan, warning of reduced investment and jobs and of a competitive distortion by targeting franchises while leaving independents outside the scope.
- Background data cited in coverage show fast-food outlets rising from roughly 37,000 in 2018 to more than 49,000 five years later, while some commentators argue chains could absorb such costs and pass them on to consumers.