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Producer

Mild winter in France wreaks havoc on fruit producers and in gardens

Warmer-than-average temperatures this season have caused fruit plants to flower early, despite the still-present risk of frost

The only cheese-makers in Ambert make mildest blue cheese in France

The creamy blue ‘Fourme d’Ambert’ is lovingly made by these third generation dairy farmers

Meet the sibling distillers making liqueurs from French Alpine plants

Distilling flavoured spirits ‘génépi’ and ‘sapinette’ in the mountains runs in the family for this brother and sister

magazine

Meet the producers: the Toulouse farmers who mill their own crops

Three farmers bought the traditional granite mill and now press their own oil and flour to sell

Grape harvest begins earlier than ever in south France due to heat

One producer says he always begin harvesting early, partly because of the location of his plot, but that climate change is also having an impact

Shopping local: France's AMAP farm basket scheme explained

Each month, we take a selection of reader questions and answer them. One of July's questions is about France's AMAP scheme and whether it is good value.

French olives: Quality over quantity

As olive pickers in France set about gathering this year’s harvest, we meet a leading producer and head of the growers’ profession, France Olive

Warning in France over poisonous plants in shops and in the wild

Common plants and herbs accidentally used in cooking or homemade cosmetics can be toxic and even fatal to humans and pets, the French food safety agency has warned

Meet the organic goat farmers at ‘La Chèvrerie de la Peytavigne’

Originally from Belgium, Jean-François and Catherine Chapelier have around 30 milking goats and approximately 17 acres of pasture

French crème de cassis producers stop Chinese firm using Dijon name

The China intellectual property administration agreed that allowing a Chinese wine and spirits company to use the brand ‘Dijon’ would ‘give rise to confusion’

France declares ‘calamité agricole’ after record cold: What is it?

The emergency support comes after freezing weather caused significant damage to crops

Berlingots: The traditional hard sweets still made by hand

The producers of the two types of berlingot sweets still being handmade in France are passionate about maintaining traditional manufacturing methods

Harvesting the health benefits of French birch sap in spring

Have you spotted tubes attached to the trunks of birch trees recently? The season for collecting birch water - prized for its detoxifying properties - began earlier than usual this year

Battle to brand ‘authentic’ Camembert in France

Producers of traditional Normandy cheese camembert, handmade using unpasteurised milk, want to educate consumers against misleading labelling

Covid-19: France calls public to help French farmers

The French government is calling on people who are “not working at this time” to “go into the fields” and help farmers and producers during the Covid-19 crisis.

French products could face 100% import tax to US

French products including cheese, yoghurts, sparkling wine, cosmetics and accessories could have additional import taxes of up to 100% imposed on them by the United States, it has been suggested.

France to become leading consumer of organic wine

France is set to become the world’s leading consumer of organic wine by 2021, having doubled its consumption since 2013, a new study suggests.

Food brands in France ‘hiding’ palm oil as ingredient

Palm oil is being “hidden” in traditional products in French supermarkets, with “clever marketing” designed to mislead consumers, a food NGO has found.

A year in a French vineyard: April 2019

Keep or quaff... why do we age wine? Jonathan Hesford considers the tricky task of buying wines to lay down or drink

French pétanque jack factory threatened by caterpillar

The only manufacturer of traditional-style wooden boules ( pétanque ) jacks in France is becoming threatened by a type of caterpillar that is attacking the tree wood it uses for production.

Polish beef scandal: All meat imported to France found

All 800 kg of the spoiled beef that was imported to France from Poland has now been identified and taken off French shelves, the minister for Agriculture has confirmed this weekend.

The fruit and veg to eat to stay healthy this January

Avocado, beetroot, carrot, cauliflower, clementine, and sweet potato: just some of the seasonal produce that the French agricultural ministry says the public should be eating this January 2019.

Rare white truffle given origin certificate in Paris

An exclusive white truffle has been given its own “certificate of origin” and precise traceability information for the first time, by high-end Parisian truffle restaurant and deli group La Maison de la Truffe.

France fines white goods brands €189m for price fixing

Six major white goods brands, including Electrolux and Whirlpool, have been fined €189 million by French consumer agency la DGCCRF for their role in a secret price-fixing agreement.

Buffalo mozzarella in Brittany

A goat farmer has spent seven years perfecting Brittany’s first buffalo mozzarella.

French cheese stocks suffer due to summer drought

Stocks of French Comté and Cantal cheese may drop significantly this year due to the effects of the summer heatwave and drought, producers have said, with some saying this is “the worst year ever”.

Doctors call for higher alcohol taxes in France

Doctors in France have called on health minister Agnès Buzyn to raise taxes on alcohol and spend the funds on more awareness campaigns against addiction and excess alcohol consumption.

French vegan festival cancelled due to rising tensions

A vegan festival that was to take place on September 8 in Calais has been cancelled due to mounting tensions between activists and butchers in the Nord (Hauts-de-France).

Food app grows in France as herbicide debate reignited

Over five million French people have downloaded a free smartphone app that highlights pesticide levels in your food, as a US court case over the herbicide glyphosate reignites debate on the issue.

French food focus - July 2018

A focus on food in France

‘Built-in obsolescence’ study targets women’s tights

Clothing brands are deliberately making women’s tights that will “ladder”, forcing users to throw them away after just six uses, a new study by anti-“built-in obsolescence” association HOP has found.