France may no longer require milk packaging to state that the milk originates from France. According to the highest French court, such a regulation was unlawful because there is no link between the origin and the property of the product. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) had already stated this earlier.
In 2017, the French government – at the urgent request of French farmers – started a two-year pilot project for labeling the origin of processed foods.
This pilot was extended in 2019, despite protests from the EU’s legal department. After a protest from the French dairy company Lactalis due to ‘market disruption,’ this French labeling requirement has now been abolished.
French farmers sharply criticize the decision of the highest administrative court. The French Farmers’ Association (FNSEA), the organization of young farmers (JA), and the association of milk producers (FNPL) call it an ‘unacceptable step backwards.’
The European Commission plans to expand European origin labels for existing food products (fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables) to new product categories (including milk) as part of its ‘farm to farm’ strategy.
Brussels is currently conducting a feasibility study into a label that does not distinguish by country but rather between ‘EU’ and ‘non-EU’. Several EU countries oppose ‘national’ origin labels if they are used solely to favor ‘own food’ and to block foreign exports.