To be brave was necessary last night to face the bad weather and traffic jams in order to attend the first meeting of the “Jeudis de l’Actu” organized by Nice Matin and IPAG Nice in the amphitheater of the Nice business school. The inaugural event was a success for this new initiative, paving the way for many more Thursdays to come.
All the guests were present for this opening with Anny Courtade, Head of the purchasing department for Leclerc stores, Sophie Béranger, Departmental Director for the Protection of Populations, Gaston Franco, European Deputy, and Xavier Hébuterne, head of the digestive unit at the Nice University Hospital. Masterfully led by Olivier Biscaye, Director of Publications for the Nice-Matin group, the interactive conference-debate could begin.
“Are our plates sick?” That was the theme of this first meeting, and naturally, it addressed issues of traceability, quality control, and transparency to try to explain how horse meat might be sold as beef by one of the giants in the frozen food sector, or how excrement can end up in pies of a major… furniture retailer. “We conduct numerous unannounced inspections alongside regular checks, whether in shopping centers or restaurants. Regarding the recently incriminated products, our inspections have shown that the vast majority of retailers have removed these products from their shelves.” Sophie Béranger, head of the population protection service, sought to be reassuring, much like Anny Courtade: “Numerous checkpoints are in place throughout the supply chain, starting from the arrival of goods, where we systematically reject deliveries that do not comply with the current regulations, especially in terms of temperatures and dates.”
When questioned by the public about animal meal potentially being allowed again to feed farmed fish, Gaston Franco responded: “Nothing has been decided at the European level, and I assure you that my colleagues and I will fight to prevent this from happening.” A bit of good news and a different perspective than what has been read and heard in various media. For Professor Hébuterne: “Our plates are probably less bacteriologically ‘sick’ than before, but the economy and the food industry have invented new products that are cheaper but, for example, much richer in fat.”
An hour and a half later, Olivier Biscaye concluded this first edition of the “Jeudis de l’Actu” while reminding everyone of the next meeting, on Thursday, March 28th at 6:30 PM in the IPAG Nice amphitheater, for the second theme, which couldn’t be more timely: “Should the Church change?”
