the origins of more than two thirds of the ingredients remain unknown, according to UFC-Que Choisir

According to a study by UFC-Que Choisir published Thursday, 69% of the origins of ingredients in prepared dishes are unknown. Some have no origin mentioned, others a generic origin with vague mentions.

The origin of 69% of the ingredients in prepared meals is unknown. This is what emerges from a UFC-Que Choisir study published on Thursday March 28, while Olivia Grégoire, the Minister responsible for Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce, Crafts and Tourism, must announce by May “Origin-info”, a visual presenting in a synthetic way the different origins of the ingredients making up a food. In detail, 47% of the ingredients of these processed products have no origin mentioned, and 22% a purely generic origin with vague mentions such as “EU origin” Or “non-EU”.

According to this study, it is for cereals and vegetables that the lack of information is most marked. 84% of ingredients in these products have no specific origin mentioned. They are followed by poultry (64%), pork (38%) and beef (32%). Among the 14 brands analyzed by UFC-Que Choisir, differences in transparency are observed for products of the same ranges and comparable compositions. Thus, Marie gives the precise origin of more than eight out of ten ingredients for its prepared dishes, while Fleury Michon only does so for less than one out of five ingredients. Another example, Bonduelle communicates the precise origin for more than one in two vegetables, while Cassegrain only does so for less than one in ten vegetables.

The future display “will have no effect if it remains voluntary”

For the association, “opacity is not due, as some manufacturers claim, to an inevitable variability in the origins of ingredients but rather to supply policies specific to each brand”. The future display “Origin-info”wanted by Olivia Grégoire, “will have no effect if it remains voluntary”, says UFC-Que Choisir. The association asks the minister to make this display obligatory, “as permitted by the European regulation governing food labeling”, and to include it on the front of food packaging, in order to allow consumers “to compare products and buy them with full knowledge of the facts.

For this study, UFC-Que Choisir noted and analyzed the information appearing on the packaging of a sample of 243 processed foods from major brands, commonly found on the shelves (canned foods, prepared meals, sandwich salads, ham, cold meats, etc.) representing a total of 484 main meat (beef, pork, poultry) and plant (cereals and vegetables) ingredients.