country report: France
The state of a cheese nation No nation on earth has the reputation for cheese that France does, but it is still susceptible to the challenges of the modern world. PATRICK McGUIGAN crosses the Channel to discover a country that is seeing plenty of change in both production and retail while still trying to keep its old traditions alive. FRANCE’S CHEESE NUMBERS make for impressive reading. The country is home to almost 1,500 different varieties, 54 of which are protected under EU law. These PDO and PGI jewels in the dairy crown are made by more than 1,200 farmhouse producers and 300 dairies. It would seem that France’s position as the spiritual home of cheese is secure. But the stats don’t tell the whole story. The rise of supermarkets, industrial food production and burdensome hygiene regulations have had a profound impact. Where farmhouse producers and cheesemongers used to be the norm, multinational dairies now dominate, with supermarkets accounting for around 90% of cheese retail sales. According to campaign group Fromages
Because of COVID we have a new generation of professionals who want to be cheesemongers. A lot of people want to change their lives and be more connected with food David Bazergue, Fédération des Fromagers de France
de Terroirs, over 50 traditional French cheeses have disappeared in the past 30 years, while raw milk cheeses account for just 7% of consumption. David Bazergue, director general of cheese retail organisation Fédération des Fromagers de France, estimates there were more than 10,000 cheese shops in France 50 years ago, but at the start of the 21st Century that number had slumped to 2,400. While the situation sounds critical, the fight to save traditional French cheese culture is well underway. “20 years ago cheesemongers said it was the end because of the supermarkets,” says Bazergue. “But this has actually led to the development of new specialised cheese CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
GOOD CHEESE 2021-22
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