control of the origins of products in collective kitchens and fast food restaurants

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Wednesday November 27, 2024in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Saint-Lô and Granville (Manche), the two unions FDSEA and JA de la Manche carried out product origin controls In several collective kitchens and fast-food restaurants while the free trade treaty between the European Union and the Mercosur countries has revived the agricultural anger from winter 2022-2023.

Is the Egalim law respected?

“The Egalim law requires for the supply of out-of-home catering a minimum of 50% of quality and sustainable products, including at least 20% in organic products, and the implementation via ambitious territorial food programs (PAT) open to all agricultural systems, fair remuneration for the qualitative efforts of farmers, complete and reliable information on the traceability aspect and origin of products on all fresh and processed products”, explain the two unions.

The latter wanted to check for themselves whether out-of-home catering (RHD) in our territory complies with these rules, while the European and French regulatory obligations that farmers must respect “are among the strictest in the world”.

Through this action, the two unions also asked “the State to ensure that all RHD actors respect this law, before daring to think of flooding our territory with products coming from Mercosur countries. »

At the collective catering GIP in Centre-Manche and at the McDonald's in Saint-Lô

Around fifteen farmers asked the management of the Centre-Manche collective catering GIP, based in Saint-Lô and Coutances, to open its fridges and reserves.

This GIP born in 2010 from the merger of the central kitchens of the City and the Saint-Lô hospital serves 3,500 meals per day thanks to around fifty agents (administrative, allotment, cooks, drivers). He gets his supplies from a market gardener in Gourfaleur and processes the vegetables at his vegetable factory in Coutances. A specific batch was even defined so that a local apple producer, Alexis Chasles de Domjean, could supply.

“In terms of value, we buy 20% organic products and 14% under the sign of quality and origin,” explains the executive director Jorge Marques de Figueiredo who received the delegation led by Luc Chardine (president of the Young Farmers of La Manche) et Jean-Michel Hamel (president of the FDSEA of La Manche).

In the spring, the GIP was controlled by the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression) in order to verify compliance with what had been declared on the ma-cantine.agriculture.gouv platform. fr. It was indeed the case.

“It’s reassuring to know that the State is doing its job,” said Luc Chardine, who noted only two poultry of EU origin. “We mainly buy French poultry. There, it was troubleshooting the freezer. We are lucky to be in Normandy: fresh, the meat and charcuterie are exclusively French,” assures the executive director, who also calls for consumers to relearn how to eat seasonally and locally: “In winter, you have to get used to eating carrots, cabbage, celery again…”

However, he is already witnessing a change in software in the kitchens: “We are rethinking things differently by saying to ourselves what is available locally at a reasonable price. » “Overall, apart from a few products like oranges from Spain, everything is French. It corresponds to our hopes,” greets Jean-Michel Hamel.

This delegation then went to collective restaurant of the Manche Departmental Council where purchases are entrusted “to Sodexo but with their specifications”, explains Jean-Michel Hamel who did not notice any major anomaly. These farmers ended their little journey “at McDo”: their meat is purchased from La Chaiseronne (Brécey) and the Villers-Bocage slaughterhouse, the salad is from Florette (Lessay), the fries are French, only “the potatoes are from Belgium. »

In Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, nearly thirty farmers started by checking the central kitchen before leaving, stopping at a fast-food restaurant in La Glacerie.

While no foreign products were found in the central kitchen, “we found at Burger King a lot of EU products about which we don't know more while we are being asked for more and more transparency in our exploitations,” deplores Etienne Cousinfarmer in Yvetot-Bocage and general secretary of JA 50.

In Granville, the third delegation visited the central kitchen which serves 250,000 meals per year and that of the hospital (850,000 meals per year). “Outside France origin is marginal, only on frozen meat which only represents 5% of meals and on portioned ham and butter (French supplier but other product origin). There is a desire on the part of the City of Granville to work with locals and staff who are also manufacturing more and more,” testify Florence Goron and Sabrina Orain, figures of the women's section of the FDSEA 50accompanied in particular by Francois Rihouetmilk producer in Périers and general secretary of this majority union.

At the time of the departmental assessment, “I expected worse,” admits Étienne Cousin. He and Jean-Michel Hamel believe that their similar actions “over the last ten years are bearing fruit. »

“The actions took place calmly, with respect for property and people, with constructive exchanges”, emphasizes Étienne Cousin while the Rural Coordination, a more radical union, used old methods by unloading tires , manure or even corpses of wild boars and foxes in Avranches Sunday November 24, in Coutances Tuesday November 26, then in Agneaux and Saint-Lô Tuesday evening until late at night.

The Peasant Confederation today

Against the backdrop of Chambers of Agriculture elections in January, the Manche Peasant Confederation plans to take action this Thursday, November 28, 2024 at E.Leclerc d’Agneaux centeralready targeted Tuesday evening by the Rural Coordination.

Aurélien Marion, co-spokesperson, announces “an unprecedented mobilization full of surprises […] to denounce the consequences of free trade agreements, which weaken our farmers and endanger the food sovereignty of our country. » “The farmers of the Confédération Paysanne will take a stand for a sustainable agricultural model, respectful of the environment and public health. This mobilization will be an opportunity to show that these agreements can cost local agriculture and the values ​​of our country,” assures the Confédération Paysanne de la Manche.

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