The “homemade” decree has just been published in the Official Journal and can be applied since yesterday. It was highly requested by professional catering organizations and consumer groups after surveys revealed that 75% of restaurateurs used products supplied by the food industry, limiting themselves to assembly and cooking.
In fact, it has nothing to do with regional cuisine and seasonal market-based menus.
And, what to say about the so-called culinary expertise while the “French gastronomic meal” has recently been inscribed as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO?
Faced with this commercial drift, already in 2011 (no right-left division in this matter), political bodies, concerned with the country’s reputation, which is also one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world with significant economic benefits, took measures for consumer information and protection: First at the initiative of UMP deputy Siré in October 2011, then by law 2014-344 of Minister Benoît Hamon before he changed ministerial competence and handed over responsibility for the dossier to the new Secretary of State Carole Delga for the final adjustments.
But what does the decree in effect since yesterday say?
A “homemade” dish is made on-site from raw products. Products, determined by regulation, can be part of “homemade” dishes after undergoing necessary transformation from their raw state.
As the devil is always in the details… reading the said “regulation” reveals that “products that […] are refrigerated, frozen, thawed, or defrosted” can enter a “homemade” dish’s composition.
We thought the creativity of the ministerial services was at its peak, but no… a new paragraph tells us that restaurateurs can use products processed elsewhere “as long as the brand of the product or the name of the professional who manufactured it is expressly indicated.”
Unbelievable! Where is the difference from the old practices? While in reality, nothing changes, it will be enough to indicate the supplier’s name to comply with the standard.
And the short supply chains, local sourcing, the likely creation of apprentice jobs for this additional work that “homemade” inherently involved?
Passed over due to the impact of the agri-food lobby, which fiercely defended its interests, and the pusillanimous weakness of unions always drawn to the allure of the more powerful and the many cunning individuals within the category who prefer exploiting clients over the correct practice of a trade that does not lack prestige.
After the VAT reduction flop, the profession once again illustrates its inability to improve the quality of its offerings to customers.
Therefore, we will have yet another “label” that will mean little: good cooks will continue to work well using good products to offer “homemade” dishes, and others will continue serving products bought from large retailers, which, by the way, are perfectly edible and even of good quality but should rather be called “factory-made.”
From a political point of view, it is yet another missed opportunity to improve a major economic sector by adding a bit more transparency but, but… in this democracy where only individual or collective interests matter, isn’t it the word ‘reform’ itself that should be reformed?
The following question is less absurd than it seems: And if the descendants of The Prince of Salina (The Leopard: “For everything to remain the same, everything must change”) had emigrated from Sicily to France?
The decree relating to the “homemade” label was published in the official journal, highlighting dishes fully prepared “on-site” from “raw products,” having undergone “no modification,” to showcase the restaurateurs’ “know-how”. But what does “homemade” mean?
The logo that restaurateurs can place on their menu or in the restaurant if all the products served comply with the definition. The “homemade” logo, which restaurateurs can place on their menu or in the restaurant if all the products served comply with the definition.
Until now, professionals in the sector had questions about several points of this decree, particularly regarding the exact definition of a “raw product”.
According to the text, “a raw product (…) is a food product having undergone no significant alteration, including through heating, marinating, assembly, or a combination of these processes.”
“The purpose of this decree is to recognize the act of cooking, to acknowledge expertise compared to assembly cooking, by providing consumers with simple and reliable information,” explained Carole Delga, the Secretary of State for Trade and Consumption, to AFP.
“Products delivered to the professional peeled, – except for potatoes -, peeled, sliced, cut, chopped, cleaned, deboned, skinned, shelled, chopped, ground, or crushed can be part of a homemade dish”; but also “smoked, salted, refrigerated, frozen, or packaged under vacuum”, continues the decree.
"Frozen fries, for example, cannot be part of this decree. This means that those from fast-food chains (frozen, editor's note) cannot be considered as homemade fries, just like their sauces, which arrive ready-made and will not be considered homemade," detailed Ms. Delga.
The following can also be part of a homemade dish:
“cured meats, smoked fish, and charcuterie, except for terrines and pâtés. Cheeses, food fats, fresh cream and milk, bread, flours and dry biscuits, dried and candied fruits and vegetables, pasta, and grains.” But also “raw sauerkraut and blanched offal, yeast, sugar, and gelatin, condiments, spices, herbs, concentrates, chocolate, coffee, herbal teas, syrups, wines, liquors and spirits, raw puff pastry, and, provided it is stated in writing to the consumer, white, brown and fish stocks,” the text specifies.
“A ready-made tomato sauce cannot be part of this decree,” added the Secretary of State, specifying that for offal, “it is stated that it must be blanched, for sanitary reasons.”
“A dish composed of a non-listed product (…) can be presented as homemade, as long as the product’s brand or the name of the professional who made it is expressly indicated,” notes the decree. Professionals must visibly indicate for all consumers the following statement: “Homemade dishes are prepared on site from raw products.”
The logo, “can be indicated at a unique location visible to all consumers,” when “all the dishes offered by the professional are homemade.”
If applicable, they will be included “for each dish on the supports used to present them,” such as menus or cards, as well as “on other marketing supports of the professional, including online,” as of Tuesday, indicates the text.
The decree aims for “a fair balance between showcasing our professions and the clients’ desire for transparency,” reacted the national association of independents (GNI), a professional organization representing 260,000 employees. Simultaneously, Ms. Delga announced to AFP that “a working group will be set up at the start of the school year on recognizing the profession of cook.” This follows requests from industry professionals who want the cooking profession to be classified in the trade directory, like that of a baker, to obtain the title of artisan-chef.
The president of the Union of Hospitality Industry Trades (UMIH), Hubert Jan, expressed his delight to AFP about this “victory.” The decree regarding the “homemade” label, published in the Official Journal on July 13, comes into effect on Tuesday, July 15. It concerns commercial catering establishments or take-out prepared meals. From this date, restaurateurs can display the “homemade” logo, a house roof on a saucepan, on their establishment’s front or menu, supposedly guaranteeing an on-site kitchen from “raw or traditional kitchen products.” This logo can be attributed on a dish-by-dish basis. In France, more than 80% of restaurants reportedly practice what is called assembly cooking.
Logo of the “homemade” label to be shown on visible information supports for consumers by catering establishments.
What benefits does the “homemade” label offer?
For professionals, restaurateurs, and caterers, this label identifies dishes prepared by the chef, thus enhancing their profession. For the consumer, it helps “distinguish assembly cooking made from industrial preparations from cooking made from raw products,” explains the ministerial information site dedicated to “homemade.” This label meets “a need for transparency and consumer information,” according to ministers Sylvia Pinel and Benoît Hamon, then Minister of Handicrafts and Commerce and Minister of Consumption, in a joint statement on January 29.
