Fraud Repression warned on Thursday July 30 about the misuse and even deception of AOP and PGI geographical indications at different stages of the food chain, from the producer to the restaurateur, after inspections of nearly 1,800 establishments.
These controls, carried out in 2023, resulted in 71 criminal reports, for “usurpation of an AOP”, “deceptive commercial practice” or “non-compliance with the specifications of the AOP/IGP”, details the General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF) in a press release published Thursday. 197 compliance orders were also sent, representing around 11% of inspections.
The most serious offenses ended up before the courts and two cases gave rise to a penal settlement: a supermarket made “an abusive reference to the PGI “Veau du Limousin” on pieces not benefiting from this quality sign” and a fairground announced “falsely marketing Agen AOP prunes”, develops the Fraud Repression.
Pinned restaurateurs
“Anomalies” range from “error linked to a lack of rigor and knowledge of the regulations, to usurpations and misleading practices, including those aimed at taking advantage of the notoriety of an AOP or a PGI for a product that does not benefit from it,” writes the DGCCRF, citing the examples of a bakery which claimed to use Charentes-Poitou AOP butter or a farmer who did not use Ardèche chestnuts for his products. as announced.
“Presenting products as AOP or PGI products when they are not is to deceive the consumer,” recalls the DGCCRF. Importers who allocated PDO or PGI to foreign products or wholesalers were also inspected.
Restaurateurs were also singled out, some “adding the word “AOP” to products for which there is no designation of origin in order to enhance their menu”. “At all stages of the supply chain, misleading presentations have been observed, suggesting that a product benefited from an AOP or a PGI when this was not the case,” concludes the DGCCRF.
“In view of the results of this survey, and due to the importance of products benefiting from a quality sign in France and the enthusiasm of consumers for these types of production, the DGCCRF will continue to carry out checks on the sale of products certified by quality signs,” she assures.
