"The problem is that you believe what you read!" Says Emmanuel Bozon, technical manager of the Aromates de Provence cooperative, showing a pot of Provence herbs from the Ducros brand, the best-selling in France. .
We should write “aromatic herbs”.
This mixture contains herbs that come from different origins: the Mediterranean basin, eastern countries and Poland.
"
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In the middle of a field, on the edge of the town of Ginasservis, in the Var, he leans over and plucks a bit. "This is thyme from Provence that we will then enhance in the mixture of herbs from Provence Label rouge". His company is the only one to produce this mixture. It is also the only one to guarantee the local origin of the product. “We have a recipe that is completely standardized,” he continues. 19% Provence thyme is used, while most of the thyme used in principle is produced in Poland; 27% oregano from Provence, while it usually comes from southern Mediterranean countries; 27% rosemary also from Provence, which usually comes from Bulgaria; finally, 27% of savory from Provence, whereas it generally comes from the countries of the East.»The dried herbs are freed of their impurities in a sorter to keep only the leaves. “These are the ones that contain all the aromatic power. "
The herbs are weighed, mixed and packaged in “big bags” (flexible bags with a large capacity) and sent to the co-operative's client packers.
Among them… a certain Ducros.
“We have a clean product overall,” comments Emmanuel Bozon, showing Ducros' label rouge mixture of Provence herbs, through his jar.
There are a lot more aromas on this bottle.
"Then he takes the classic pot of herbs from Provence and points two small twigs through the glass:" You can notice more stems and sticks.
"
"Herbes de Provence" is a generic term
In supermarkets, it is estimated that only 5% of herbs from Provence… from Provence. “The term“ herbs of Provence ”is generic, explains Benjamine Vandeputte, leader of the Interprofessional Association of Herbs of Provence, which guarantees compliance with the Label Rouge. It can be used to refer to any mixture of dry aromatic plants. There is no guarantee of origin. On a product labeled Label Rouge, on the other hand, we can be sure that all the herbs come from Provence. »Note all the same: ordinary Ducros jars cost € 75 per kilo ... against € 130 per kilo for the same Label Rouge product.
To fully understand the rules of the game, we show Benjamine Vandeputte a packet of organic Provence herbs from the Maison Laget brand. “It's a very interesting example,” she observes. We have the mention “origin France” with the tricolor but when we look at the text of the label, we read “mainly French organic plants”: this suggests that there are many other countries of origin. "
Then she noticed that if the package did not bear the Label Rouge logo, it still referred to it in the text on the back: “This can mislead the consumer because, to be Label Rouge, you have to join the association. interprofessional so that I can check that all the specifications are respected.
Maison Laget is not in this case.
The composition of the package, displayed on the front, also does not correspond to that of the Red Label.
The deception appears such as one contacted the mark.
By telephone and by email, Maison Laget insisted on the 100% French origin of its products and admitted the need to provide details on these labels.
At the tasting, the cheapest pot comes first
But that's not all. In the Carrefour located in Trets (Bouches-du-Rhône), about thirty kilometers from the Aromates de Provence cooperative, we discover another anomaly. The local products section presents herbs from Provence beautifully presented in burlap. While we are filming, the store manager surprises us. We explain to him that we are making a report on this product and asks him if he knows where these Provençal herbs come from, sold in such a section promoting “local producers”.
He looks at the price tag on the shelf: “We buy them at La boutique provençale”. Then, referring to his electronic tablet: “They are based at Signes”. Signes is certainly a Provencal municipality, but it is only the place of the head office of the retailer. Afterwards, a detail calls out to us: the price of 34.67 €. This is half the price of the cheapest Ducros product, originating from abroad. Contacted by email, Carrefour confirms our doubt: “The raw material is (…) not guaranteed to be of French origin. These bags (…) have since been moved to another department. "
If you don't want to consume herbs from Provence ... from Poland, it is better to be very vigilant! However, are the guarantees of origin also guarantees of taste? We organized a blind test with the chef of the restaurant Ourea, in Marseille. "Really, there, I don't feel much", wonders Matthieu Roche, blindfolded, after having inhaled the herbs of Provence Label Rouge.
He tastes: “It doesn't taste much either. »And those of Maison Laget? " It's already better. "Then he tests, still blindfolded, Ducros' ordinary product:" To give off an odor, it's not easy, "he blurted out, distraught. He puts a pinch in his mouth: “The taste comes a little bit. "The last sample is that of the Masalchi brand, organic but without any guarantee of French origin:" It smells not bad, this one, anyway, he said after sniffing the herbs. But the taste is not there. "
In the ranking, it is the ordinary Ducros mixture (75 € / kg), which wins the tasting. After that ? Maison Laget (140 € / kg), Masalchi (146 € / kg). The Ducros Label rouge (130 € / kg)… comes last! It is therefore impossible to say that herbs from Provence Label Rouge are the best. But if you want a Provençal guaranteed product, this is the best guarantee. And if you hesitate between two labeled products - for example between Ducros and Albert Ménès, also sold in supermarkets, 10 euros more expensive per kilo - know that the mixture is the same and that it comes from the same place: the Aromates de Provence cooperative .