“made in France” crisps are gaining ground

In recent years, labels and indications “origin France” have been appearing on packets of crisps. If the sales pitch works, the packaging can be deceiving. “That, we see more and more: ‘100% French potato’. (…) But when you look closely, the potato is French, but we don’t know where the production is made”, warns Jérôme Arvois, manager of the E.Leclerc grocery department in Sézanne (Marne). If France is the first European producer of potatoes, it is a bad pupil for the transformation of products.

In the Oise, producer Bruno Demory cultivates perfectly calibrated varieties for crisps, but “two thirds of the potatoes produced in the cooperative go abroad”. The factories are historically installed in the biggest consumers of crisps, particularly in Belgium. France, however, is trying to catch up, and production is becoming industrialized. Short circuit chips have also become the big trend of recent years. The market is yet to be conquered for new players. The delay will however be a long time to catch up, because France produces 15,000 tonnes of crisps each year, or only 20% of its consumption.