A new logo to better identify fresh, local and seasonal foods

In his neighborhood cheese factory, Xavier unknowingly brushes aside two ministers: "Can I buy county?"

»He launches to Samia Mihoubi, the owner of the Ferme de Chloé, a mini-food store that looks like a palace of wonders in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.

The young man who came to fill his backpack with provisions snubs Julien Denormandie, Minister of Agriculture, Alain Griset, Secretary of State in charge of SMEs and a small crowd of local elected officials, presidents of agricultural sectors and cheese makers .

Above the Saint-Nectaires and the Chabichous, these suit and tie have inaugurated a new logo: a plate with a fork and a knife, accompanied by this slogan: "Closer to you and your tastes".

The initiative launched this week should make it possible to shine the spotlight on fresh and local products in small traders but also in supermarkets and hypermarkets.

All the brands have signed the charter, as have a large part of the local food trade federations: cheese dairy, bakery, greengrocers, etc. They will therefore use the tricolor plate on their posters, in their shelves, in brochures, etc.

How to navigate between all the labels?

On the nicely furnished shelves of his cheese factory, Xavier did not spot this visual which, according to him, “does not hit enough”.

But this consumer attentive to the environmental impact of his plate finds the approach interesting: "I will be more inclined to trust a government approach, than the very opaque communication of the large distribution", he believes, in tightening the straps of his backpack.

But doesn't this new logo, deployed with great fanfare, risk losing consumers?

The big brands have, one after the other, invested the local area with their brands: “Our regions have talent” for Leclerc;

“Flavors of France” at Lidl, or even “Reflets de France” and “It comes from here” respectively for Carrefour and Casino.

Among small traders, PDOs (protected designation of origin) compete with “organic” labels or regional references… This is particularly the case in cheese factories, France being the country of 1,000 cheeses, “rather 1 200 ”corrects Samia Mihoubi.

“Whatever,” retorts the owner, “It's always good to highlight the know-how of craftsmen!

"

No strict definition of the premises

Julien Denormandie, the Minister of Agriculture, defends the approach: “The first confinement accelerated a demand for health products, local products.

We wanted to federate all the initiatives in this direction.

We do not substitute for each other's communications, he assures us.

If we can give an impetus, that's good.

If we can convince those who have not yet taken over the premises, it is even better.

"

Paris (19th century), this Wednesday.

The Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie and Alain Griset, Secretary of State in charge of SMEs, visited the A la ferme de Chloé cheese factory.

LP / Olivier Arandel  

But besides, what do we mean by local?

The followers of locavores movements, whose credo is to eat only what grows around their home, are generally limited to a radius of 150 km.

"We did not want to have a strict definition, at least it must be produced in France", answers Julien Denormandie.

Corsican clementines will therefore be stamped "Closer to you" even if you live in Lille (North), French bananas from the West Indies too, including on stalls in France.

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Locavores are gaining ground

According to our information, the European Commission was moved by the initiative which could be seen as economic patriotism.

“Half of the fruit and vegetables bought by the French are imported.

They are not representative of the cultural practices that we would like.

They respect neither our social standards, nor those which are environmental ”, defends the Minister.

In the viewfinder, products such as leeks which, in their place of cultivation abroad, can be sprayed with pesticides banned in France.