Source: Le Parisien
With christmas eve approaching, the French caviar and foie gras industries are banding together, calling on the French to uphold "patriotism" when preparing festive meals and give priority to the products of French companies to save the industry economy that has been hit hard by restaurant closures during the epidemic.
According to le Parisien, French caviar producers recently issued a "declaration", emphasizing that the crisis of the new crown virus epidemic and the resulting economic crisis have had a considerable impact on the caviar farming industry, with the closure of concession markets, the closure of restaurants, and the stagnation of tourism, making the survival of the entire industry precarious and imminent.
French caviar producers are mainly located on the banks of the Garonne River in Aquitaine, with production of 43 tons in 2019, ranking third in the world, behind China and Italy. French caviar producers implore consumers to opt for French caviar when preparing festive meals.
For French foie gras producers, December sales accounted for 70% of the annual turnover, so the end of the year could also be unusually tough. Moreover, the food and beverage industry accounts for 40% of the annual turnover, and in the context of the continued administrative closure of catering establishments, foie gras producers can only rely on the purchasing power of households during the Christmas period to cope with this unprecedented situation.
To facilitate household purchases, foie gras producers have introduced small packages of 100 to 150 grams to accommodate smaller meals. In addition, the industry has also launched publicity activities through the media, and launched collective logos such as "French Fat Liver" and "French Duck Breast" to provide quality assurance for consumers. It is reported that the two consecutive outbreaks of avian influenza in France from 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017, as well as the restrictions on promotional activities in the Food Law in 2019, have led to a 10% decline in sales in the foie gras industry, which is in a state of tension.
According to the French Multi-Sectoral Commission for Fatty Livers (CIFOG), the fatty liver production sector sustains the livelihoods of 30,000 families in rural areas and provides nearly 100,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities in The New Aquitaine, Octane, Brittany, Loire Valley and Alsace.
In mid-November, Christian Lambert, president of the Confederation of French Agricultural Operators' Trade Unions (FNSEA), had issued an appeal for the French to unite to save the Christmas industry economy and "reserve a place in the holiday budget for quality French products". (Overseas Network - Paris - Lujia)
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Source: Overseas Network