"Welcome to the France Pavilion of Taste France. This year, our France Pavilion brings together 10 companies, a French region and a French wine appellation, who will work with other French agricultural companies to showcase the high quality and diversity of French agricultural products and food products at the fourth CIIE. This morning, Mr. Luo Liang, French Ambassador to China, made a warm invitation to unveil the mystery of the French cuisine exhibition area of the Fourth CIIE.
The agri-food sector is France's second largest export force after aviation. In 2020, China became the world's largest food importer. The strong growth of French agricultural exports to China confirms the interest and confidence of Chinese consumers in French products. During the fourth CIIE, the French Pavilion will fully display French agri-food, highlighting the ultra-high quality and rich diversity of French culinary traditions. 12 French exhibitors showcase their products and services at a French pavilion dedicated to promoting agricultural products, gastronomic techniques and French terroir.
"The active participation of French companies in the Expo reflects their desire to make a long-term commitment to the Chinese market. It also marks their desire to share with the Chinese public the excellence of French agriculture and agri-food. In the agricultural products exhibition hall of this exhibition, France is the country with the largest number of exhibitors. Luo Liang said that French agricultural products are known for their safety and high quality, which is very much in line with the expectations and tastes of Chinese consumers, one of the world's most discerning consumers.
There are many agri-food industry associations in France, representing the different agri-food industries in France, and the main task is to promote the products of their respective industries in a centralized manner. The nutritional value and hygiene safety of dairy products produced in France are impeccable, and 40% of their production is exported. In 2020, France exported 4,000 tons of cheese, 5,700 tons of butter and more than 37,400 tons of cream to China! Many French dairy companies have set up branches in China of different sizes, offering Chinese consumers a wide variety of dairy products: including dairy ingredients, milk powder, cream, butter and cheese. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, French dairy companies and Chinese partners have learned to address health and safety challenges and adapt to constraints in the context of the pandemic. Professionalism, timely response and seriousness are the keys to ensuring that Chinese consumers continue to receive excellent dairy products of good health, safety and quality.
There is a saying in French: the whole body of a pig is a treasure. In fact, in France, pork includes more than 500 categories of cut pork, cooked meat products, dried meat products, fresh meat side products, pork offal products and so on. France has an annual output of 23.5 million pigs, 10,000 farmers, 167 slaughterhouses, and 310 pork products processing enterprises. France provides a high level of veterinary hygiene and safety, ensuring the effective implementation of biosafety procedures during breeding and transport, as well as haccp procedures in slaughtering and processing enterprises. All farm locations and animal transshipment between pig production enterprises are registered in the French national pig database bd porc, which is supervised by the French veterinary department, ultimately ensuring the traceability of the entire industrial chain.
French beef is a very high-quality meat, characterized by tenderness, delicate meat, juicy, fragrant teeth and cheeks, adapted to the different terroir environment of France 22 cattle breeds (Charolais, Limousin, Salère, Kimbiti... offers a very wide selection, as well as the most accurate segmentation in the world (no less than 34 blocks). The excellent traceability of French beef is based on a very strict tracking and control system – from the birth of the animal all the way to the consumer. In France, 4,800 people from the Ministry of Agriculture inspect farms and slaughterhouses every year, and this inspection system has been operating effectively since 1978.
France is the fourth largest producer of fruits and vegetables in Europe, with production reaching 7.8 million tonnes (excluding potatoes) in 2020. Of the more than a hundred fresh fruits and vegetables produced in France, 28 have been protected by iGP geographical indications of origin, such as shallots in Anjou, and 13 have been protected by appellations of origin, such as apples in Limousin.
With its masterful expertise, the French fresh fruit and vegetable industry is committed to producing the highest quality fresh fruits and vegetables on the basis of environmental protection, sustainability, phytosanitary safety and traceability. In fact, more than 50% of operators in the French fresh fruit and vegetable industry have already obtained environmental protection certifications of "hve/high environmental value", with plans to reach 100% by 2025, thus achieving the goal of a farm-to-fork strategy.
All companies exporting fresh fruits and vegetables from France have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of plant quarantine for French apples and kiwis exported to China. At this year's 4th China International Import Expo, the French fruit and vegetable industry actively participated: 4 of the most representative French apple export enterprises, including Blue Whale Group/Blue Whale, Cardell, le blottière and pominter, participated in the "French Food" French food exhibition area.
According to reports, the taste france logo was launched in China in 2020, aiming to provide Chinese consumers and professionals with a product value with a guarantee of ultra-high quality: excellence, safety, pleasure, authenticity, innovation. This year, a total of 10 French exhibitors and 1 French regional food promotion office and 1 French appellation of french appellation of origin (aoc) wine appellation were presenting their products and know-how at the French Pavilion:
andros Andrew Fruit Food Ltd, Chateau des Arthur Pendragon Arthuragon ArthurândRandon Winery, Chateau Tasta Dasda Winery, Crus & Vintages, de Bon Debo, gérard Bertrand/ Cent degrés Jihaberton Wine Group/Fajang Creative Design Co., Ltd., Jean Loron Jean Rohon Singh Winery, les Grands chais de france French Grand Cellar Wine Group, nactalia Adali, agence de l'alimentation nouvelle-aquitaine (aana) New Aquitaine and Rhône Valley & Rhône Valley villages.
The exhibitors of the French Pavilion of taste france have all entered China and are optimistic about the long-term development of the Chinese market. These French companies are committed to providing Chinese consumers with healthy, convenient and safe products. Taste France France will offer a variety of events throughout the exhibition to share French cuisine and the French way of life with Chinese consumers.
Author: He Yi
Editor: Liu Liyuan