This statement will now apply to poultry, sheep, pork or goat meat and no longer just beef.
The mention of the origin of all meat served in France outside the home, from the school canteen to restaurants, becomes compulsory from March 1, according to a decree published Thursday in the Official Journal.
Announced for many months by the government and desired by the sectors, this labeling will now apply to poultry, sheep, pork or goat meat and no longer just beef. Currently, and since 2002, only the origin of beef must be mentioned in catering, a legacy of the mad cow crisis in particular.
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The labeling must mention the country of origin and that of breeding. It applies to meat purchased raw by restaurants and not to meat purchased already prepared or cooked. This obligation concerns all out-of-home catering, ie school canteens, companies or hospitals, such as commercial restaurants.
The Minister had indicated in September that he would give professionals a few weeks to adapt to these new regulations, which explains the entry into force in March. Julien Denormandie claimed to respond to a legitimate request from citizens for better traceability of meat and to “an awareness that nutrition has a very strong impact on health“.
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Militant for the country’s food sovereignty, the Minister recently reaffirmed his conviction that this labeling obligation would affect consumer behavior. “When the chicken breast is displayed +Brazilian+ or +Ukrainian+, this will change behavior“, he declared in January to the National Assembly, recalling that currently, in collective catering, “half the meat is imported“.