UFC-Que Choisir files a complaint against the French honey leader based in Béarn

The consumer association denounces the “Frenchwashing” of the largest honey player in France “by affixing notices leading consumers to think that the product was harvested in France, when this is not the case”, according to the complaint filed on May 21 and consulted by AFP. The UFC-Que Choisir deplores in particular that the mentions of the French origin of the company and the location in the Pyrenees of the potting are “overvalued” on the packaging, even though they are imported honeys. from abroad. “Several products” from the company Famille Michaud Apiculteurs, known for the brands Lune de Miel, Miel l’Apiculteur, Famille Michaud and La Ruche aux Délices, are affected, says the association in a press release. “The exact origin of the products is also often relegated to small characters on the back of the jars or even on the cap and via abbreviations that are sometimes not very intelligible,” UFC-Que Choisir also criticizes. A presentation which “clearly harms clear, fair and transparent information” and which “can therefore be compared to a misleading commercial practice”, believes the association.

The company contests and counterattacks

Contacted by AFP, Marie Michaud, general director of Famille Michaud Apiculteurs “firmly contests these allegations” and specifies that the group is preparing action against the UFC-Que Choisir for “slanderous denunciation”. The company assures that it “indicates all the origins of the honey contained in its jars in accordance with the regulations”. Since spring 2022, all companies marketing honey in France are obliged to indicate the countries of origin of honey mixtures when they are packaged on national territory. “The company also guarantees the quality of its honeys since 100% of the jars packaged on its Gan site”, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, “are controlled to ensure the geographical origin (France, Spain, etc.), “floral origin (acacia, lavender) and the purity of the honey (non-adulteration)”, adds Ms. Michaud. Today, France produces on average 20,000 tonnes of honey per year, while the French consume on average 45,000 tonnes per year, according to the Confédération paysanne, the third French agricultural union.