Food products “Made in France” have a clear advantage among consumers. What causes labeling traps like this Breton producer of stamped mushrooms produced in France when they come directly from Poland.
The Légulice company, which markets the Lou Légumes brand, was fined 750,000 euros for “misleading about the quality, origin and quantity of the products,” reports Ouest France. It will also have to pay 20,000 euros in compensation to large retailers and producer organizations.
“Tagging error”
Several other French mushroom producers, as well as the brand’s distributor clients (Lidl, Leclerc and Carrefour) and the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations had filed civil lawsuits in this case.
According to the judgment of the Rennes Criminal Court, these acts of deception occurred from March 1, 2019 to December 14, 2020. The Repression of Fraud estimates that just over 12,000 tons of mushrooms of French origin were marketed while the production Légulice’s capacity was then about 3800 tons.
The producer only acknowledges a “labeling error” made by a temporary worker but sees in this matter an attempt to destabilize its competitors. In a press release, he denounced “a political and union matter carried out by the interprofessional that intends to put Lou Légumes to the ground: weakening a competitor who has achieved the unprecedented commitment of reactivating a fresh mushroom production sector in France”. . She says appeal.
Source: BFM TV
