Whether in commercial or institutional catering, restaurateurs are obliged to indicate the origin of the meat they serve to their customers. These rules on meat origin have now been extended to restaurants selling exclusively takeaway or delivery meals, as of October 1, in accordance with a decree issued on June 21.
What meats are involved?
This new obligation to provide information on the origin of meat, which will apply from October 1, 2023, concerns:
- Beef and minced beef
- Pork meat
- Mutton meat
- Poultry meat
It applies only to meats bought raw by restaurateurs, and not to those already prepared or cooked.
Information to be displayed
Restaurateurs selling takeaway meals only must indicate the country where the animal was raised and slaughtered. For beef, the country of birth must also be indicated.
The decree of June 21, 2023 specifies that if these stages take place in the same country, the words "Origin (name of country)" are sufficient.
Otherwise, restaurateurs must wear :
- the words "Born and raised (name of country of birth and name of country(ies) of rearing) and slaughtered (name of country of slaughter)" for beef,
- the words "Raised (name of country(ies) of rearing) and slaughtered: (name of country of slaughter)" for pork, sheep and poultry meat.
This information must be provided to the consumer visibly and legibly before the contract is concluded, whether by display, information on menus or any other medium.
Takeaway sales: new obligations to provide information on the origin of meat as of October 1 https://t.co/VnZWas7LCD
- DILA (@DILA_officiel) July 4, 2023
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
At any time, restaurateurs may be subject to an inspection by the DGCCRF, the French fraud control authority. Those who fail to comply with this new information obligation are liable to an administrative fine of up to 1,500 euros (individuals) or 7,500 euros (legal entities), deducted from their business account.
The decree stipulates that the obligation will apply from October 1, 2023 until February 29, 2024, as part of the experimental phase negotiated with the European Commission.
This means that managers of commercial catering establishments without an on-site consumption room, and offering only takeaway meals or meals to be delivered to consumers, have every interest in complying with the new rules on indicating the origin or provenance of their meat, in order to avoid heavy penalties.