The French competition authority, known as the Autorité de la concurrence, has conducted an analysis at the request of the French government regarding the high cost of living in Martinique, particularly focusing on the food distribution chain. The analysis revealed that consumer prices in Martinique are significantly higher than in mainland France, with food prices showing a 40% difference.

In response to ongoing protests and the signing of a protocol to combat the high cost of living, the Autorité has issued nine recommendations. These include enhancing the resources of the Price, Margin and Revenue Observatories (OPMR) to better monitor prices and margins, and strengthening oversight of wholesale importers to ensure compliance with existing laws prohibiting exclusive import agreements.

The Autorité identified several structural factors contributing to the high cost of living, such as the small market size, reliance on imports from mainland France, and local taxes. It emphasized the need for a permanent framework to collect data on prices and margins to facilitate ongoing monitoring by public authorities.

Additionally, the Autorité noted that while the existing tools to combat high living costs are useful, they are insufficient. It called for a simplification of local tax structures and better integration of Martinique into regional trade networks to reduce dependency on mainland France.