France will lead in 2017 to a unique experience in Europe, the origin labelling of meat and milk in processed products and ready-cooked dishes, a logistical challenge for companies in the agro-food, and encouraged to source in France.
The measure starts on 1 January, but a postponement to march 31, has been planned to enable industry to adapt and take on the market the products that are already labeled in order of“avoid waste”, said on Thursday the 29th the ministry in a press release.
The measure, which was implemented on an experimental basis for two years, provides that the origin of the meat contained in prepared meals, or milk in the brick or dairy products, must be announced as soon as the share of meat is greater than or equal to 8% of the weight of a prepared product, and as soon as the part of milk is equal to or greater than 50% for dairy products.
This labelling was not previously compulsory for fresh meat, fruit and vegetables or even honey. For consumers to see appear on the packaging of ready meals country of birth, rearing and slaughter of animals for meat or collection, as well as of packaging or processing of the milk, manufacturers have had to re-do all of their labels.
The Association of enterprises of food prepared (Adepale) has estimated the cost of this operation for the companies agri-food to “several tens of millions of euros”. According to the association, the change of the labels “will be at least 3 to 4 billion labels for products in the scope of the Adepale, plus the cost of the destruction of labels and / or packaging non-compliant”.
Still a cost, “difficult to quantify”, the refocusing on the meat and milk of French origin, “one of the main objectives of this regulation franco-French”, according to the Association.
Because the purpose of the government is clear: while livestock breeding is experiencing great difficulties in France, this measure is “a major opportunity for the recognition of the quality of agricultural products and agri-food in French.
Since an agreement in 2010 with the interprofession porcine Inaporc for the voluntary labelling of pork products, the Herta brand already mentions the origin of 90% to 95% of its products, explained to AFP the CEO of Herta, Arnaud de Belloy.
But, “what is complicated, is that in France one does not find all the parts. It’s missing 1/3 of the ham in France. There are products that are imported and we need more supply in France”.
However, “to mark foreign products, now we not bother because it is obvious that in the deli you will always have imported products”, ” says the CEO of Herta who hopes to “this is not an excuse when there is a time of low prices for that there are actions outside of the law in stores”, that is to say, the protests of farmers in the brands that sell foreign products.
Philippe Gélin director of the centre’s caterer group LDC, of which the best known brand is Mary, but that also makes dishes of the brand of the distributor (MDD), confirms this: ““It’s been three or four years that we communicate on the French origin of the products, there is no change”.
For him, the issue is more important for the MOT, because “in this connection we respond to the requests of our customers,” distributors and to their specifications. Or “some use meats which are not necessarily of French origin”.
“Some distributors, but very few, made the choice to spend on products of French origin. This is the subject of a negotiation”, he says.
Because “change the origin of products is an expensive choice”. “For products Marie, the additional cost related to the supply of France – from birth to breeding through to slaughter and processing – rather than abroad has been of € 2.5 million” for the year, he said.
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