Consumers want French food label

CONSUMERS have called overwhelmingly for a new food label to be created - to highlight products that are produced in France.

Nine out of 10 said there should be a collective "Label France" for food products but added that they did not want to pay more for the privilege as they already found food too expensive.

A poll, conducted for the National Association of Food Industries (Ania), found that four out of five people were not happy with prices and nearly two thirds (59%) said they "most often choose the cheapest products".

At the same time, however, they said that food producers deserved to get a fair price for their products.

Consumers showed their pride in the quality of French produce as 70% of respondents "trust French food businesses to ensure product safety".

And, in a warning to supporters of genetically-modified foods, 71% of those questioned considered that they represented "a significant threat to safety on their plate".

The government, too, got a warning as 73% of respondents said that the taxe soda on added sugar in drinks would prove ineffective in combating obesity. The consumers also warned that they were vehemently opposed to any more new nutritional taxes.

* Last May France introduced the Origine France Garantie label to allow French products to be identified more easily by consumers. Origine France Garantie details