Travail de Fin d'Etudes en Agroécologie : Comment construire un prix juste pour un pain nourricier en boulangerie urbaine ?

Abstract

This research analyzes artisanal bread pricing mechanisms in Brussels' urban bakeries. Faced with absent consensus definitions and Belgian regulatory framework, conceptual work triangulates scientific literature, French and German regulations, and qualitative interviews to clarify wholesome bread and artisanal bakery concepts. A six-category establishment typology is developed. The study combines quantitative price surveys across three Brussels municipalities with eight semi-structured baker interviews. Results reveal a significant gap between industrial bread and artisanal wholesome bread, the latter failing to cover actual production costs. The theoretical framework mobilizes classical and informational economic theories, then adopts Donella Meadows' systems approach. Analysis demonstrates market mechanisms alone cannot construct fair pricing: imperfect information, absent standards, industrial under-pricing, and invisible externalities distort price signals. Fair pricing requires a regulatory system integrating economic viability, social justice, and environmental sustainability through targeted institutional interventions.