To deal with “supply tensions” on certain egg or poultry-based ingredients, in the context of an avian flu epidemic, the State will authorize the agri-food industry to temporarily change the recipes of certain products without labels won’t immediately mention it, according to a statement released on Monday.
“The avian flu epidemic, which has been raging in France since November 2021, affects the supply of the food industry for the production of certain foodstuffs made from eggs or egg products” (products obtained from a egg component), “or ingredients from poultry” such as duck fat, explains the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) in a press release.
When the mentions “without GMO”, “from organic farming”, “raised without antibiotic treatment”, “raised in the open air” or “origin France”, are not respected, the information must be “explicit” on the packaging by adding a label or by hiding the mention concerned, for example.
On the other hand, when the explicit mention is not possible on a product which benefits from a derogation, a simple mention “DEROG” will be registered. For example, in a product such as duck rillette, the State authorizes the replacement of “part of the duck meat and/or fat” by “chicken meat and/or fat”, subject however that the final product “contains a minimum of 40% duck meat and 20% duck fat”, details the DGCCRF.