“French washing”: a complaint from UFC-Que Choisir against the honeys of the Famille Michaud Apiculteurs company

The consumer defense association UFC-Que Choisir announced that it had filed a complaint against Famille Michaud Apiculteurs, European leader in honey. The accusation concerns “French washing” practices aimed at making people believe that their products are exclusively French. According to the association, the company uses marketing techniques to “Frenchize” honey mixtures, some of which are in reality completely imported.

Volunteers from UFC-Que Choisir carried out an investigation in various supermarkets and found that several jars of honey bore packaging suggesting an exclusively French origin. However, these honeys are partly, if not completely, imported. Products from the Lune de Miel, Miel l’Apiculteur and Famille Michaud brands are particularly singled out.

The association deplores that the packaging of certain products overemphasizes the French origin of the company and the location in the Pyrenees of the potting, when in reality they are imported honeys. The use of terms such as “honey from our terroirs”, associated with visuals evoking French villages and a map of France, misleads consumers. Indeed, some of these honeys are partially harvested in Spain.

The complaint also points out that the exact origin of the products is often relegated to small print on the back of the jars or on the cap, with abbreviations that are sometimes difficult to understand. This practice harms a “ clear, fair and transparent information for consumers », According to UFC-Que Choisir.