Nevertheless,
Floral origin, provenance: behind scenes:
On small bottles stacked next to microscopes, you can read “acacia honey” or “heather”. Moreover, Criticized for its commercial practices. In addition, imports, the European leader Michaud Beekeepers is praising his traceability efforts and pleads for their generalization in the sector.
The company known for its flagship honeymoon brand has opened the doors of its AB-development laboratory to Gan, near Pau. Meanwhile,
Inside. Meanwhile, technicians study the characterization of its honeys, the analysis of their authenticity and the detection of “environmental contaminants such as pesticides or glyphosate”, explains Laurence Thomazo, its manager. Furthermore,
“Our fight is the analysis. For example, insists Romain Le Nouaille, marketing director of the group, because honey is one of the five most frauds in the world.”
From mid-2026. Furthermore, a new European directive will also floral origin, provenance: behind scenes impose the mention of the producing countries on the jars, with the percentage share of each origin.
“It is very good. Similarly, it goes in the direction of transparency, but these percentages are not detectable on the finished product, the analyzes must be done upstream,” said Romain Le Nouaille.
– Fraud explosion –
Between 2021. 2022, 46% of the 320 lots tested in 18 states of the European Union when they import were potentially falsified, analyzes revealing in particular the undeveloped addiction of sugar. The figure was only 14% between 2015 and 2017.
Several types of fraud are scrutinized: that of geographical origin. or qualify as French a honey which is not, that of floral origin – acacia honey is not honey all flowers – and adulteration by adding syrup.
In May 2024. the UFC Que-Choisir filed a complaint floral origin, provenance: behind scenes against Michaud family for “misleading commercial practice”, denouncing marketing stamped “French”, while only 30% of the honeys put in pots by the company are.
The Pau prosecution. however, without follow -up this procedure last May, a decision welcomed “with satisfaction by family Michaud who has always challenged any offense with regard to the consumer”, according to his lawyer Me Olivier Leroy.
The group. which claims to produce more than 16,000 tonnes of honey with 600 beekeepers “partners” in France, filed a complaint in turn for “slanderous denunciation”.
In April. Famille Michaud Apiculteurs agreed to settle a tax recovery, marking the end of the conflict that has opposed customs since 2013 after a control over honey imported from China, while always invoking “technical disagreement” on analysis methods.
Recently, an Austrian laboratory used DNA to unmask false honey imported into the EU. floral origin, provenance: behind scenes
This new method. “still too fresh and not successful”, “deserves to be confronted with the same analysis in other laboratories to be able to prove its reliability”, judges Laurence Thomazo.
– Insufficient French production –
For Chistophe Vossier. member of the French Federation of Professional Beekeepers (FFAP) practicing in Drôme, Michaud family does not “make the French sector live”.
He would like “imported honeys to go in addition. not to replace”, recalling that his federation has long asked that “the provenance be written on the pot of the pot, in a clear way, not only in small on a corner”.
“This year. we will explode all the harvest figures and we will have stock on our arms because they (Michaud family) will not take more, or at derisory prices.” Faced with “a kilo of Ukraine honey floral origin, provenance: behind scenes at 1.70 euros, we are three to four times more expensive, we cannot compete,” he adds.
According to France Agrimer. since 2022, France has imported more than 30,000 tonnes of honey per year, mainly from China (20 %), Spain (17 %), Ukraine (16 %) and Germany (8 %).
“In France. we consume between 45 and 50,000 tonnes of honey per year, and we produce about 20,000, so we are in deficit”, specifies Romain Le Nouaille.
According to the industrialist. the lack of structuring of the sector – 60,000 beekeepers identified but only 4% of professionals – induces “a lack of visibility on the volumes produced”, problematic at the time of commercial negotiations with large distribution.
Posted on August 3 at 9:59 am, AFP
Floral origin, provenance: behind scenes
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