Origin Info: 5 Things To Know About This Indicator
Initially introduced as a score similar to the Nutri-score, the Origin score has ultimately been renamed to Origine Info approach. Here are 5 things to know about this new indicator that will start appearing on food products in the coming months.
It indicates the origin of the ingredients.
In France, the country of production for fruits and vegetables must be mandatorily indicated on products since 2011. The origin of meats and wines has also been mandatory since 2020.
The goal of the "Origine Info" initiative, which is expected to be trialed starting from the summer of 2024, is slightly different.
This new indicator will not enhance consumer information about the origin of raw products, but rather about the origin of ingredients that make up a processed food product.
It must allow purchasing with full knowledge of the facts.
According to a study by the Collectif en Vérité, "the price and origin of a product are two determining factors" in the purchasing act. 86% of the consumers surveyed believe that displaying the origin of a product is extremely important and decisive.
In the current context of the agricultural crisis, consumers have a role to play in "supporting French farmers." However, to be able to make their purchases with full knowledge of the facts and favor French products, they must have access to sufficiently clear information.
The Origine Info initiative is part of this dynamic of transparency, which until now has been absent from the shelves "for processed food products."
A specification must be written by May 1st.
Following the meeting held at Bercy on March 13, 2024, the Origine Info initiative was favorably received by all participants, according to Olivia Grégoire, the Junior Minister in charge of Consumer Affairs.
However, there are still many issues to be resolved before this new indicator appears on supermarket shelves. It is still necessary to define the scope of the products concerned and decide on the implementation of a logo on packaging or in a digital version.
The specifications for this new indicator must be drawn up by May 1, 2024, to allow for experimentation during the summer.
This indicator could take the form of a gauge.
Although the media initially talked about an Origin Score, the A to E score similar to the Nutri-score was ultimately not adopted by the Ministry of Economy. The French Ministry of Finance, Bercy, has chosen to name this initiative Origine Info to avoid any notion of rating, ranking, or value judgment.
The logo, which is expected to be tested by the summer of 2024, could take the form of a gauge that allows the buyer to visualize the origin of the main ingredients by percentage. This logo could notably indicate the percentage of ingredients of European or French origin.
This new indicator should not undermine the presence of other labels on packaging that promote the French origin of products. The Ministry of Economy has expressed support for maintaining labels such as Fruits and Vegetables of France or Meat of France.
This process will not be mandatory.
Consumer Affairs Minister Olivia Grégoire has reminded that, for now, the Origine Info initiative is not a mandatory requirement for manufacturers. It is a voluntary and free approach, through which brands will be able to fully disclose the origins of the ingredients they use. For those who want to buy made in France and support French producers, this indicator will be much more reliable than the tricolor flags sometimes placed on products that come from foreign countries and are only assembled in France.
Olivia Grégoire has also committed to defending this issue in Brussels as part of the revision, scheduled for 2025, of the European regulation on consumer information.
Even though this new logo will be added to products on a voluntary basis, it is hoped to achieve the same success as the Nutri-score: this rating is now considered useful by 93% of consumers and displayed on 60% of products.
