General Standards
Standards and technical regulations in France
Agricultural Standards
France applies the harmonized EU rules and standards in the food. In January 2002, a general food law to establish the principles of EU food law was published.
More specific informations regarding the agricultural standards in France are available on the Foreign Agricultural Service’s website: http://www.usda-eu.org
Packaging rules
Packaging must comply with EU rules on the prevention of health risks to consumers and the protection of the environment.
Product requirements
Product standards in France are similar to those in most EU member states. A large number of products require a CE marking, in order to be sold in the European Economic Area. This marking is necessary to prove that your products meet EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements.
CE Marking
Some of the imported products have to be retested and re-certified to EU requirements as a result of the EU’s specific approach to the protection of the health and safety of consumers and the environment. Products that are not regulated by specific EU technical legislation, are always subject to the EU’s General Product Safety Directive and to other additional national requirements.
Harmonization of EU legislation can facilitate access to the EU market, but manufacturers should unhderstand that regulations and technical standards might also act as barriers to trade, if standards in their country are different from those of the EU.
Labelling of products
While imported into France, products should have a French label. French versions of the labels should be clearly visible if there is a multi-language label. Products, such as foodstuffs and textiles, have specific labelling requirements.
Labelling of products in France is regulated by the Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes.
Standards Organizations
EU standards setting in France is performed by independent standards bodies, acting at the national, European or international level. Standards are also performed by non-governmental organizations, such as environmental and consumer groups.
The preparation of specific EU Standards is administerd by 3 European standards organizations:
CENELEC - European Committee for Electro technical Standardization
ETSI - European Telecommunications Standards Institute
CEN - European Committee for Standardization, handling all other standards
http://www.cen.eu/cen/pages/default.aspx
The EU’s standards regime is wide, as it extends beyond the EU’s political borders, including countries which might become members in the future: Albania, Belarus, Israel, and Morocco etc. It also extends on the "partner standardization body", comprising the standards organization of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Australia, which are not likely to become a CEN member or affiliate for political and geographical reasons.
French Association for Standardization (AFNOR)
AFNOR represents the French national organization for standardization. It is an international services delivery network that implies 4 core competency areas: standardization, certification, industry press, and training.
The key members of AFNOR are:
ACTIA (Association of Technical Cooperation for the food industry)
ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Energy Management)
ADEPT (Association for the development of international trade in food products and techniques)
COFRAC (French Accreditation Committee)
CSTB (Scientific and Technical Center for Construction)
CTI (Center Network industrial technology)
INERIS (National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks) emerged from CERCHAR (Study and research centre of the Charbonnages de France) and IRCHA (National research institute of applied chemistry)
LCIE (Laboratoire Central des Industries Électriques)
LNE (Laboratoire National Metrology and Testing)
UTAC (Union Technique de l'automobile, cycle and motorcycle)
UTE (Union Technique de l'Électricité)
The collection of French standards includes 32.000 standards of national, European and international origins, available in French and in English. The aim of AFNOR Group is to help companies to access, monitor and implement the normative reference documents and the associated regulations.
Food and Agricultural standards
France is a member of the European Union and as a result follows EU rules and regulations regarding the importation of food products.
Labeling requirements
The "Code de la Consommation" specifies that all the products imported into France must have labels in French, irrespective of the origin of the goods. In addition to the labels, documents and packaging details also must be in french. It is forbidden for importers to use foreign names instead of existing equivalent French terms. Foreign names are allowed only if a French equivalent does not exist or if it is not used. However, multilingual labels are acceptable.
According to the French regulations superlatives (ex. great, the best) must not appear on food labels. Labels should describe the product, not promote it.
Additional labeling requirements:
- the product name, net quantity (metric units), date of minimum shelf life (for perishable products), the date of minimal durability (for non-perishable products) and the name and address of the importer must be indicatded in the same field of the label.
- in the case of non-perishable goods, the date of Minimal Durability must appear on the label preceded by the words, “A consommer de préférence avant fin” (best consumed before) (day, month, year). For perishable products, the date of minimum shelf life must appear on the label using the words, “A consommer avant” (to be consumed before) (day, month, year).
- products exempt from indicating the DLC or DDM are: fresh fruits and vegetables, wines and spirits, alcoholic beverages (alcoholic content ≥ 10.5%), vinegars, sugar, confectionery items, and live shellfish intended for raw consumption.
- the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or seller within the EU must be indicated.
- ingredients must be listed in descending order according to their quantity in the product. The list of ingredients should be preceded by the word, “ingredients.”
- additives and preservatives must be indicated on the label of all food products, either by specific group name or by “E” number. Flavorings are considered additives and should be noted as “arôme de” followed by the name of the flavor.
- the country of origin must be indicated in letters not less than 4 millimeters in height on all product cases (packing labels, etc.).
- the alcoholic content must be indicated on the label of all beverages with an alcoholic content > 1.2%, by volume.
- maximum storage temperature should be specified for frozen foods.
- the net weight, product weight or the drained weight (metric units) must be provided on the label.
- the words “butter” or “cream” may not be used on the label unless the only fat used is butter fat.
- the word “milk” or “milk products” may only be used if certain minimum quantities of milk solids are present in the product.
- individual portions of beef under 3 kg are not accepted for import into France.
- a veterinary stamp or sanitary certificate is mandatory for products of animal origin (meat and meat products, milk and milk products, eggs and egg products, fish and seafood).
- instruction for use or conservation is mandatory only when necessary, and should be clearly indicated and visible on the label to allow the appropriate use of the product.
Packaging and containers
France has its own packaging/container size requirements for products such as beers, fermented beverage, breakfast cereals, pre-packed fruits and vegetable, non-alcoholic beverages, coffee, milk, oil and vinegar, ice creams, frozen fish, frozen fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and vegetables, and pet foods.
A wide range of prepackaged food products requires a declaration of unit price, per kilogram, 100 grams, deciliter, or liter.
According to the French Law No 2012-1442 of 24 December 2012 any food packaging containing Bisphenol A (BPA) is banned since January 1, 2015 for all foods products. Thus, if the product is custom-cleared in a French port, it must be BPA free.
Note: The use of the following materials in direct contact with foods is strictly forbidden in France: copper, zinc, and galvanized iron, except for use in the process of distilling, confectionary, and chocolate manufacturing.
