In markets or in city centers, it is difficult to see clearly for the consumer: the mentions “artisanal products”, “local products”, “PDO products” or even “agricultural products” flourish in shop windows or on stalls . But what exactly are we talking about? explanations.
• Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
Protected designation of origin (PDO) it is the star of the “local products”. There are around a hundred French products that benefit from this official European label, half of which are cheeses such as Morbier, Abondance or Brocciu Corse. We also find olive oil from Provence, fir honey from the Vosges, Espelette pepper or Bigorre black pig.
The PDO is the label whose criteria are the strictest: all the stages of production must have been carried out in a precise geographical area and according to a specific procedure that guarantees the typicity of the product. For a Saint-Nectaire, for example, the specifications limit milk production and cheese making to a precise list of municipalities in Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal.
However, with a nuance: each PDO has its own specifications, more or less strict depending on the product in question. Also, remember that AOP is not synonymous with small producers: many products with the AOP label belong to large agri-food groups. The controlled designation of origin (AOC) is the ancestor of the AOP and is now reserved for wines.
• Protected Geographical Indication (IGP)
Other official European label, protected geographical indication (PGI) it is more flexible. Auvergne ham, Mirabelle de Lorraine plum, Breton cider… Once again, the aim is to identify a product originating from a certain place. But unlike the PDO, it is enough that only one of the production stages takes place in the geographical area in question and the ingredients are not necessarily from this geographical area.
It is best to find out about the origin of the ingredients, especially in the case of processed products: as with the PDO, the PGI specifications differ according to each product. For example, the specifications for the Ardèche PGI salami require that the production take place in a municipality in the Ardèche, but the meat can come from outside the department, France or the rest of the EU.
It should also be remembered that a PGI product does not necessarily come from a small production: PGI products are common in the food industry.
• Red Label
It is probably the best known label among French consumers. Flour, honey, meat, charcuterie, fruit, vegetables… almost 500 products are already identified “Red Label”, especially in supermarkets. But it is not at all a geographical label like the PDO or the PGI: its objective is to guarantee products with a supposedly higher quality of taste than that of a common product.
More specifically: to qualify for the “Red Label”, a product must respect a certain number of production conditions and quality criteria defined in its own specifications. A free-range pork pâté, for example, cannot contain gelling agents or dyes, must be made only with fresh meat (and not frozen) and the pork must have been raised outdoors.
Since it is not linked to a territory, the presence of the “Label rouge” logo does not indicate that the product or the ingredients used are local or French: a “Label rouge” ham sold in the south of France may have been manufactured in the other end of France, or even in another country. Sometimes, however, the “Red Label” is associated with a PGI (but never with a PDO).
• Local product
Local products flood the baskets of the French. Everywhere, stalls or shelves claim the local origin of their products… but nothing officially defines it. It is even an impossible mission: the very subjective notion of “local product” depends on each consumer. Is it at the level of the country, the region, the department, the immediate environment, the municipality?
The whole issue is also determining the manufacturing criteria: a product designated as “local” does not necessarily indicate that the ingredients used are local, nor that it comes from a small production in the area, nor that the quality of taste and nutrition are better . . The best thing, as always, is to find out about its origin and its preparation.
In this context, the labels resulting from local initiatives (Produced in Brittany, Savourez l’Alsace, etc.) have multiplied in recent years, but the labeling criteria vary. Furthermore, certain products such as Herbes de Provence, Marseille soap, Laguiole knives, or even Dijon mustard are not legally protected and may have been harvested or manufactured anywhere in the world.
• Agricultural product
In the markets, agricultural products are common. But, if the use of the term “farmer” and all its derivatives (“farm product”, “farm product”, etc.) is regulated by law, there are no precise specifications: the regulations are limited to specifying that the Products must have been prepared on site, on a non-industrial scale, with ingredients sourced primarily from the farm.
Except in the case of poultry, eggs, and cheese, where specific (and more stringent) regulations govern the use of the term “farmer.” In all cases, producers of “agricultural products” must be able to prove that they comply with these guidelines in the event of an inspection by the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF).
The same happens with “mountain products”: the regulations establish that the raw materials and animal feed must essentially come from mountain areas and, in the case of processed products, that the transformation also take place in these areas of mountain. In the case of honey, for example, the pollen must have been collected only in the mountains.
• Handmade product
Crafts are another Christmas star. But the term “artisanal” simply means that one has the title of craftsman and that the company is registered with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA). This title does not impose any specification, regardless of the manufacturing process. This does not justify distrusting all artisan products, but it is not a quality label.
Therefore, the mention “handmade” does not systematically mean that the products offered for sale are very different from industrial products (the term “industrial” is not necessarily synonymous with poor quality either). In addition, a seller can offer handcrafted products made by another company, as long as the latter has the title of craftsman.
Find here our guide to choose your homemade ice cream.
Source: BFM TV
