France: One third of meats marketed have inadequate labels

During 2018, inspectors reviewed 1,926 establishments (large and medium-sized businesses, butchers, wholesalers, cutting and processing plants, slaughterhouses, livestock farmers who do direct sales, restaurants) and carried out nearly 2,150 control actions, mainly on the labeling and traceability of products. The rate of inaccuracy was over 30%.

The key findings were:

• The type of marketing: regardless of the type of distribution, inspectors observed inaccuracies regarding national origin (making it appear that the products are of French origin), breed claims, messages about the regional origin of the animals and misused quality labels. In almost 40% of the establishments inspected, actions to verify compliance with the regulations for origin and traceability resulted in follow-up (warnings, requirements, reports).

• Commercial stage:

  • In traditional butcher shops and in the butcher sections of large and medium establishments, inspectors frequently noticed the absence of the indication of origin, especially in veal. In most cases, since the origin of the animals is French, professionals refrain from indicating the origin of the meat.
  • On the shelves, packaging clearly mentions the origin of the meat as well as the potential for tenderness. However, shortcomings were noted. On the supermarket shelves, it is not uncommon to see inaccurate and even misleading advertising and promotions.