During a trip to a supermarket in Rueil-Malmaison, in the western suburbs of Paris, French Minister for Solidarity and Family, Aurore Bergé, did her back-to-school shopping. An allowance provided by the government 'enables all families and the five million children who benefit from it to meet the cost of back-to-school supplies,' said Bergé as inflation hit school essentials as students returned to class. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES