Meal Voucher Reform 2026: What Could Change in 2027 and 2028?
21 October 2026 · 4 min reading time
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The French meal voucher reform has reached a new stage. On 12 October 2026, members of the French National Assembly approved several proposed changes concerning grocery shopping, Sunday purchases, validity periods and the phasing out of paper vouchers. Here is what could change in 2027 and 2028, along with the rules currently in force.
What Does the 2026 Meal Voucher Reform Propose?
Approved at its first reading by the French National Assembly, the bill aims to make meal vouchers, known in France as titres-restaurant or tickets restaurant, more flexible to use and to modernise the system.
The proposed measures include:
- Grocery shopping: extending the use of meal vouchers for all food products until the end of 2027, before introducing a permanent framework with certain restrictions in 2028.
- Sundays and public holidays: allowing meal vouchers to be used every day of the week.
- Daily spending limit: maintaining the current €25 limit.
- Validity period: extending the validity of newly issued vouchers to three years.
- Digitalisation: ending the issuance of paper meal vouchers from 2028.
- Leave following the arrival of a child: continuing to provide meal vouchers during certain types of leave and absences.
The bill also aims to make it easier to donate meal vouchers to food aid charities and to improve transparency regarding the fees charged to retailers.
These measures are not yet in force. The bill must complete the parliamentary process before it can become law.
Will Meal Vouchers Still Be Accepted for Grocery Shopping in 2027?
The possibility of using meal vouchers to purchase all food products, including ingredients that require preparation, would be extended until 31 December 2027. This temporary measure, currently in place until the end of 2026, allows employees to buy products such as pasta, rice, flour, fruit, vegetables and dairy products in supermarkets.
Alcoholic drinks, confectionery, pet food and non-food items remain excluded.
From 2028, meal vouchers could be permanently accepted for food products used to prepare a meal. However, a government decree would specify which product categories would be excluded.
Retailers would remain free to decide whether to accept meal vouchers and could establish their own lists of eligible products, provided they comply with the regulations.
Will Meal Vouchers Be Usable on Sundays and Public Holidays?
Under the proposed reform, meal vouchers could be used every day of the week, including Sundays and public holidays, regardless of an employee's working schedule.
Currently, meal vouchers can generally only be used on working days, from Monday to Saturday. An exception applies to employees who work on Sundays or public holidays, provided their employer authorises their use on those days.
Under the new rules, an employee who normally works from Monday to Friday could, for example, use meal vouchers to pay for a restaurant meal or buy groceries on a Sunday.
This change would apply to all eligible employees, including temporary workers who receive meal vouchers during temporary assignments.
Will the Daily Meal Voucher Spending Limit Change?
The daily meal voucher spending limit is currently €25, whether vouchers are used in restaurants or supermarkets. The bill approved by the French National Assembly does not propose changing this amount.
During parliamentary debates, an amendment was introduced to limit meal voucher spending in supermarkets to €10 per day, but it was rejected.
How Long Will Meal Vouchers Remain Valid?
The validity period for meal vouchers would be extended to three years for vouchers issued from 2028 onwards. Currently, vouchers can generally be used during their year of issue and the first two months of the following year.
Employees can currently request an exchange of unused vouchers under the conditions set out in the applicable regulations.
Extending the validity period would give employees more time to spend their balance and reduce the risk of vouchers expiring before they can be used.
When Will Paper Meal Vouchers Be Phased Out?
The issuance of paper meal vouchers is expected to end on 1 January 2028. From that date, newly issued vouchers would be available exclusively in digital form, through payment cards or mobile applications.
Already widely used, digital meal vouchers allow employees to pay the exact amount of a purchase, unlike paper vouchers, for which retailers do not give change. They also make it easier to check balances and track spending.
Paper vouchers issued before 2028 would not automatically become invalid on that date. They would remain subject to the validity rules applicable when they were issued.
Will Employees Continue to Receive Meal Vouchers During Maternity and Paternity Leave?
The proposed legislation would maintain meal voucher entitlements during certain types of leave related to the arrival of a child, including:
- Maternity leave and certain related absences.
- Paternity and childcare leave.
- Adoption leave.
- Additional birth leave.
Currently, meal vouchers are generally provided for working days that include a meal break. Their distribution is therefore usually suspended during these types of leave, unless the employer offers more favourable arrangements.
If this measure is definitively adopted, eligible employees could continue receiving meal vouchers during these periods of absence.
When Will the Meal Voucher Reform Come Into Force?
The proposed legislation sets out two main deadlines:
- In 2027: extension until 31 December 2027 of the temporary measure allowing meal vouchers to be used to purchase all food products.
- From 1 January 2028: planned implementation of the other measures, including Sunday use, three-year validity, digitalisation and continued meal voucher entitlements during certain types of leave.
After being approved by the French National Assembly on 12 October 2026, the bill was sent to the Senate on 13 October. Its provisions and implementation dates may still change during the parliamentary process.
Until the legislation is definitively adopted, the current meal voucher rules remain in force.
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