Foie gras, pâté, and terrine: 8 Christmas food ‘scams’ to watch out for in France

Certain brands of chocolate, pâté en croûte and foie gras are on the list of eight food ‘scams’ to watch out for in France this Christmas, a consumer watchdog has warned in its annual list.

Every year, the NGO Foodwatch publishes a list of foods to watch out for as the Christmas season hits full swing. This year’s list was published on December 9.

It highlights issues including foods with too many additives, labels with misleading ingredients, and overinflated prices for “mainly empty packaging”.

Foodwatch states that the practices are “legal”, but often “exploit a grey area in European regulations”. Repeatedly misleading packaging, and low-quality ingredients also cause “a breach of trust” with consumers, said Audrey Morice, campaign manager at Foodwatch and author of the study.

“It is not up to consumers to always scrutinise labels, it is up to the government to set clear rules,” she said, repeating Foodwatch’s call for improved regulations on packaging and marketing, particularly when it comes to the origin of ingredients.

The NGO also invites consumers to report “abusive marketing practices” to its ‘Mur des Arnaques sur l'étiquette (wall of packaging scams)’.

Products on the official naughty list this year are:

1. Fizzy brand, Père Noël Sucette Giga Twisty lollipop

Marketed to children, but includes the colorant E133, which is "suspected of causing hyperactivity and allergies” in kids who consume it. The lolly is a “chemical cocktail” of seven additives – E330, E331, a gelling agent, E440i, flavourings, colourings (E133, E153, E160a, E163) – and gelatine, hidden behind apparently “inoffensive” packaging, Foodwatch said.

2. L’Origine du goût brand by E. Leclerc, ‘Escargots de Bourgogne’ snails 

The brand and name of the product together suggest that the contents are from Bourgogne, giving a feeling of genuine French origin. However, in reality the snails are simply “marked as European” on closer look, warns Foodwatch. It added that ‘Escargots de Bourgogne’ is actually a species of snail, rather than a geographical origin. 

Most such snails actually come from countries including Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, and Romania, it warned.

3. Maison Monterrat brand, Le Richelieu pâté en croûte (pâté in pastry)

This packaging features the French flag and states that the meat is of French origin – again, to suggest good quality, homegrown ingredients.

However, only the pork is French, states Foodwatch. The duck liver used is actually “of EU or non-EU origin”, it warns. The NGO has long campaigned for more regulation on the use of the French flag on food products, and said that a 2021 decree on the subject has still not been formally passed.

4. Labeyrie brand, small blocks of apéritif foie gras with Pointe d’Armagnac

These ‘cute’ little blocks actually contain sodium nitrite (E250), Foodwatch warns, stating that this additive has proven links with cancer-causing chemicals. Other brands have stopped using it, the NGO added, but Labeyrie’s recipe still includes it as a preservative in its processed meat. Foodwatch has a petition against nitrates here.

5. Favorina brand at Lidl, chocolates 

This year’s winner for the most over-inflated pricing per pack, with a “bag full of nothing”, says Foodwatch. It condemns this practice as “abusive marketing”, and states that the large packaging suggests that there are many more chocolates than is really the case.

6. Delacre brand, ‘festive’ Collection Étoile biscuits

This packaging is designed to give off an air of “refinement and exclusivity”, the NGO said, stating that the brand (which is part of the Ferrero group) is the “supplier to the Belgian court”. However, the ingredients are far less fancy, and include palm oil, a “very low-price vegetable fat that is associated with controversial environmental and health practices”.

7. Auchan brand, black lumpfish roe 

This lumpfish roe packaging suggests that consumers are getting a high-quality, fresh fish product, but instead the roe contains five major additives, including the colourant (ammonium sulphite caramel) E150d, says Foodwatch. This level of additives, combined with other Christmas foods, presents a “risk of cocktail effects”, the NGO states.

8. Guyader brand, three-fish terrine

This product has been highlighted for its “very vague mention of ‘fish flesh (chair de poisson)’” on the label, as well as being “mainly water” in composition, despite costing €25 per kilo, the NGO warns. The three named fish (hake, cod, and salmon) only appear in very small quantities, it says. It also warns of the presence of the emulsifier carrageenan, which a 2024 INSEE study linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes when consumed often.

Seasonal scams

In previous years, Foodwatch has highlighted other misleading practices. 

For example, in 2024, it found that “a small jar of balsamic vinegar” from Maison Delpeyrat was listed at double the price of its normal cost when sold next to the seasonal foie gras, compared to its usual place in the oil and vinegars section.

Many brands, including Labeyrie and Guyarder in 2025, are repeat offenders.

In 2023, the NGO warned that the Labeyrie brand had practised “shrinkflation”, having increased the price of its Le Boisé dégustation d'Ecosse product by 19% per kilo, while providing 4% less product in the pack (without making this clear on the packaging).

Other ‘scams’ have included ‘scallop terrine’ without actual scallops (from the Guyarder brand), and a festive Ferrero Rocher pack of chocolates that was 52% empty.