LE MADE IN FRANCE
2013
laitier
Dairy products Made in France
A unique range of dairy products,
the most extensive in the world
Exemplary control of
quality and food safety
A dairy tradition with
strong development potential
EXPORT: A
VOCATION
Dairy products Made in France
A guarantee of expertise, authenticity, quality, food safety, taste and
refinement, dairy products Made in France enable the country to export
the equivalent of 40% of its milk, approximately 10 billion litres, in the
form of a very wide range of dairy products.
W
W
ith nearly 25 billion
litres of cow’s, goat’s
and ewe’s milk,
France accounts for over 18%
of Europe’s milk production.
The country’s temperate climate
and favourable rainfall, the
availability of agricultural land
and the commitment of its
livestock farmers make it ideal
for long-term milk production.
The policy of the industry,
favouring diversity and quality,
has ensured the preservation of
different breeds of cattle, ancestral
methods of production and a
successful transition to modernity
incorporating all the parameters of
hygiene and food safety. France’s
300 dairy enterprises, employing
technical expertise handed down
from generation to generation,
produce over 1,500 different dairy
products, from the most traditional
to the most innovative, to meet
every possible expectation. Food
safety is exemplary. All processes
are completely transparent and
closely monitored, as the success
of French dairy exports shows.
40% of French milk is exported around
Sales and development of French dairy produce exports
(exports in millions of euros,
growth 2008-2013)
EUROPEAN UNION
4 651
+ 10%
NORTH AMERICA
251
United
States:
+ 25%
171
+ 20%
AFRICA
578
Algeria: 187
+ 42%
+ 10%
SOUTH AMERICA
37
Brazil: 22
+ 49%
+ 132%
France’s dairy sector is dynamic, sustainable and
COW'S MILK
23,740
million
litres of milk
collected
GOAT'S MILK
EWE'S MILK
457
259
litres of milk
collected
litres of milk
collected
million
million
TOTAL SALES
OF ENTERPRISES
25
billion
euros
€
the world
For each continent,
the countries cited are those
with the highest sales figures
Volume and growth
of exports outside
the European Union
EUROPE EXCLUDING EU
275
Strong growth
of large-scale exports
in all segments
+ 30 %
(in tonnes)
+ 72%
Russia: 109
2013
Powdered
whey
174,768
+ 39%
Milk powders
110,432
+ 36%
Cheeses
109,846
+ 39%
Baby formula
91,531
+ 97%
Milk
57, 722
+ 67%
Cream
47,452
+ 150%
Butter
34,789
+ 70%
+ 55%
Caseins
10,547
+ 3%
+ 127%
Milk
proteins
6,730
ASIA
755
MIDDLE EAST
307
Saudi
Arabia:
+ 194%
China: 355
+ 456%
Japan: 78
+ 67%
Korea: 52
+ 165%
+ 74%
96
+ 62%
WORLD TOTAL
6 942
Within
EU
67%
+ 25%
OCEANIA
84
Outside
EU
GROWTH
2008-2013
Australia: 39
33%
+ 150%
internationally competitive
ENTERPRISES
300
in France
INTERNATIONAL
RANKING
BREAKDOWN OF
PRODUCTION (by milk volume)
French
businesses
in the Top 25
37% Cheeses
18% Butter
15% Milk powders
10% Liquid milk
7% Yoghurts and desserts
7% Cream
3% Powdered whey
2% Caseins
1% Other
5
GREAT
POTENTIAL
27 billion litres of milk in 2020
France possesses all the essential conditions for sustainable dairy
farming: temperate climate, fertile soil, good-quality fodder crops,
livestock, qualified stockbreeders. By 2020, production should therefore
grow by 3 to 4 billion litres: a quantity dedicated to large-scale export.
For as long as people can remember,
France has been a milk-producing country
70,000
dairy farms.
3,660,000
dairy cows.
52
dairy cows per farm
on average.
350,000
litres of milk per
farm per year on
average.
tMilk is produced all over France!
tThe temperate climate and favourable rainfall are ideal for meadows
and fodder crops, essential for sustainable livestock breeding.
tMore than half the surface area of France is given over to agriculture,
with 12 million hectares of meadowland out of 551,500km². In other
words, 20% of the country’s surface area.
Farms are family-run
and on a human scale...
tFrench farms are family-run and done so on a human scale, with herds
of 30 to 120 cows on an average of 90 hectares of land.
tLarger operations often consist of 2 or 3 farmers who work together
to improve the organization of the herd. They monitor the health of their
animals personally, looking after each animal individually.
… but modern and compliant with
environmental standards
t4 billion euros have been invested over the space of 5 years in
modernizing farms: conversion of livestock buildings to improve the comfort
of the animals and the storage and spreading of solid and liquid manure.
tThe genetics of the cows are closely monitored to enhance the
robustness of stock and preserve biodiversity.
Three breeds make up the majority of France’s cattle: Prim’Holstein,
Montbéliarde and Normande. Professionals are working to conserve biodiversity
and support the reintroduction of other breeds, particularly mountain breeds:
Abondance, Tarentaise, Brune, Salers, Aubrac, among others.
The cows spend more than six months
a year in the meadow
tFrom April to October, more than six months of the year, the cows are
out in the meadows.
tThey feed primarily on the fresh grass of the pastures.
Most of the cows’ feed
is produced on the farm
tMore than 80% of the cows’ feed consists of fodder and cereals
cultivated and harvested on the farm, which enhances traceability.
tThis autonomy is possible because French dairy farms have areas
of pastures and fields large enough to feed the herd: between 0.5 and
1.5 hectares available to feed each cow.
Good cattle breeding
practices are guaranteed
tFrench dairy farms adhere to a national charter of good cattle breeding
practices, drawn up in 1999.
tThis charter demands the respect of precise criteria that improve on the
regulations: traceability and identification of the animals, health of the herd,
feed quality, monitoring of milk quality, good hygiene practice, animal
health and welfare, respect for the environment. tAn auditing system ensures the smooth operation of the programme at
every level.
What does a
French cow eat?
98%
of its fodder is
produced on the farm.
50%
based on grass
from the pastures.
3,000
technicians assist
the farmers to apply
the charter of good
cattle breeding
practice.
EXEMPLARY
QUALITY
Faultless management of the safety chain
Control of food safety in the milk industry starts on the farm and
continues in the factories, during storage and right through to the end
user. It is governed by very strict regulations, enhanced by numerous
voluntary measures taken by farmers and industrial operators.
Food safety starts on the farm
250
analyses per
farm per year
for milk pricing
in accordance with
its composition
and quality.
THE CRITERIA FOR
MILK PRICING
Composition
- fat content: 38 g/l
- protein: 32 g/l
Quality
- germs: below
200,000/ml
- cells: below
400,000/ml
- no antibiotic residues
- no added water
for raw milk.
t The farmers are the primary guarantors of milk quality. They watch
over the health and nutrition of the herd and ensure that hygiene is perfect.
The premises and equipment are disinfected after each milking. The milk is
stored in a tank at 4°C.
t Regular inspections are carried out by the veterinary services of the state
to verify compliance with European standards relating to the health of the
cows and the health status of the farms.
t In addition to the regulations, the farmers are committed to a
charter of good cattle breeding practices that certifies their proper
management of the herd, the hygiene of the farm and the superior quality
of their milk.
Strict hygiene criteria
for the milk collected
t France was the first country, as early as 1969, to adopt a law
providing for the purchase of milk in accordance with its composition and
quality from a health point of view.
t Samples are taken at each milking on each farm. The levels of germs
and somatic cells must not exceed thresholds set by the regulations.
These are indicators of the cleanliness of the establishment and the health
of the cows.
t The absence of antibiotic residues is also very strictly verified. If the test
result is positive, the milk is simply destroyed.
t On arrival at the dairy, the milk is checked again. No dairy product leaves the
dairy unless the quality of the milk is guaranteed.
t In addition to sampling for the price of the milk, random checks are
carried out at least three times a month by state-approved inspectors
to monitor the health of each individual cow and the quality of its milk.
From the farm to the consumer’s plate
The quality chain of the dairy industry starts at the farm and extends right through to the shop. It functions in particular through
the respect of the cold chain, strict quality checks on the milk and the products and by traceability procedures validated by the state.
With the role of the state supplemented by the self-inspections conducted by farmers and manufacturers, a close watch is kept on
dairy processing. There are a minimum of five inspection stages and three watchwords: quality, safety and transparency.
STORAGE AT THE DAIRY
MILKING
COLLECTION
REFRIGERATION
Inspection
Inspection
Two guides
to good hygiene
practice
Milk is analysed the same way
all over France
tWherever it is produced, the same principles of sampling and milk
inspection are applied. Specific criteria may be imposed by some production
specifications, for cheeses made from raw milk, for example.
t 15 laboratories recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture conduct
analyses of the milk so that its purchase price is standardized all over
France. They are certified by an official body that guarantees the impartiality
of the results and the reliability of the analyses.
All the factories receive health
approval from the state
t Every milk-processing factory in France, as well as the storage
centres, must have a health control plan. This describes the measures
taken to ensure hygiene, the safety of the products with respect to
biological, physical and chemical risks, and traceability procedures.
t The control plan must be checked and validated by the state. The factory
then obtains the official health approval without which it cannot put
the products it produces on the market.
t In parallel, enterprises undertake a variety of voluntary procedures for
“Quality Assurance” certification.
Infallible traceability
t Traceability is provided between the farms and the collection tanker,
and then along the entire processing chain right to the end user.
t Upstream traceability can identify the origin of everything that comes
into the factory: the provenance of the milk used as raw material, each of
the ingredients employed, packaging, etc.
t Internal traceability practised by the factories records batches and
manufacturing procedures so that the progress of the product through
the different process stages can be reconstructed.
t Downstream traceability identifies the products in relation to customers.
SKIMMING
ADJUSTING CREAM CONTENT
(STANDARDIZATION)
PASTEURIZATION OF THE
MILK IF REQUIRED
Inspection
MANUFACTURING
Drawn up by professionals
and validated by the state,
these two guides contain
the recommendations
needed to implement good
hygiene practice and the
application of the HACCP
principles appropriate
to the farm, collecting
of the milk and the
processing of dairy
products.
Health
certificate
Exported products are
accompanied by a health
certificate attesting that
the requirements laid down
by the importing country
have been met. It is signed
by the official inspection
services.
Raw milk
Back in the early
19th century, an exemplary
quality chain was set up
enabling the controlled
production of cheeses
from raw milk. Today,
14% of French cheeses
are made from raw milk.
DISTRIBUTION
Inspection
CONSUMPTION
Inspection
UNIQUE
PRODUCTS
1,500 different dairy products
France is the only country in the world to offer such a broad spectrum
of dairy products. 1,200 cheeses; an unrivalled diversity of cream, butter,
yoghurts and milk-based desserts; milk powders of high nutritional value.
A heritage that has been exported all over the world for decades.
A diversity of products and skills
unequalled anywhere in the world
5 French
dairy
groups
in the world
Top 25: Lactalis,
Danone, Sodiaal,
Bongrain, Bel.
300
businesses
operating
650 factories
to produce
1,500 different
products,
including
1,200 cheeses.
t Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Comté, Cantal, Emmental, but also
Normandy cream, Brittany butter, milk and whey powders, baby formula,
caseins and caseinates, processed cheeses, yoghurts, milk-based desserts.
t More 1,500 different dairy products born of tradition or individual regional
conditions, but also of the innovative dynamism shown by French dairy
businesses.
Efficient, modern French enterprise
tAn extensive network of businesses of various sizes, comprising
world leaders and small and medium enterprises, is established in the
dairy production regions.
tMechanisation, automation and factories of ultra-modern design are
found side by side with traditional methods, especially for cheeses, and
the AOP products (protected designation of origin) of which France is the
standard-bearer.
Ongoing innovation
tThe development of the French dairy industry is driven by innovation,
supported by permanently ongoing research.
t390 new varieties of cheese were launched in 2013: packaging,
flavouring, recipes, for example, and 586 new varieties of yoghurt,
fermented milk and milk-based desserts.
The French dairy tradition is not new
From the monks of the
Middle Ages, the same
transformation processes
and the same challenges:
control the natural rhythms
of the metamorphoses of milk,
make authentic products,
ensure product quality and
safety. The methods of the old
days have been conserved and
optimized with present-day
technology for ever-increasing
diversity, quality and safety.
7th century
1070
1280
Production
of Brie begins
First mention of
Roquefort
Production of notable cheeses
in the Alps and Franche-Comté
Cutting-edge research
tResearch is managed by the dairy industries, and by public organizations:
INRA (the French institute for agricultural research), dairy schools,
universities and many technical centres.
tResearch is conducted into the constituents of milk, micro-organisms,
both technologically useful and pathogenic; risk prevention, and control of
the different manufacturing technologies, from the simplest to the most
sophisticated.
tMembrane filtration, a technique which enables, in particular, the
manufacture of milk and whey powders very rich in proteins originated
in France.
France is the European and world
leader in dairy AOP products
tThe Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP = protected designation of
origin) is a quality label regulated by the European Union. It provides the
guarantee that these products are made in their region of origin from milk
produced within a defined geographical zone and according to a method
handed down from one generation to the next. All the relevant criteria
are set out in a precise production specification.
tIn the course of its history, each French region has developed its
own technologies, governed by the local geographical and climatic
constraints, to preserve the milk.
tAn authentic cultural and gastronomic heritage that has given rise
to 49 dairy AOP products.
France:
guardian
of a cultural
heritage
49 of the
180 dairy AOP
products in the
European Union
are French:
44 cheeses,
3 butters
and 2 creams.
Under Louis XIV
17th century
1880
1912
Appearance
of whipped cream
Appearance of
Normandy butter
Birth of the Comté
identity
Industrial manufacture of
yoghurt under the label
of the Pasteur Institute
THE
PRODUCTS
Cheeses
Over 1,200 varieties of cheese.
tSoft cheeses, hard cheeses,
blue cheeses, processed cheeses,
fresh, goat’s milk, ewe’s milk
cheeses – a unique diversity
of authentic products born of
age-old skills.
tSuperior quality engendered
by the mastery of different
technologies originating in the
territories of France and which
have adapted to modernity
while conserving their special
characteristics.
Production: 2,113,000 tonnes
35% exported
Dairy products for all tastes
Based on ancestral procedures for the transformation of milk, French
dairy manufacturers have invented new recipes for every consumption
opportunity and every use.
Butter
France is Europe’s leading
producer of butter.
tUnsalted, with sea salt,
truffle-flavoured, herb butter,
in pats, by weight, in butter
dishes, soft butter, low-fat, etc.
tFrench expertise has put
its butter on all the top
restaurateurs’ tables in France
and internationally.
tThe French regions are known
for the quality of their butter.
This link to the local area, which
defines the delicacy and character
of flavour, has earned French
butter three AOP classifications:
butter from Isigny (Normandy),
Bresse and Charentes-Poitou.
Cream
Gastronomic cuisine cannot do
without French cream.
tThick or liquid, fresh or UHT,
in cartons or bottles, cream
adds flavour, smoothness and
melt-in-the-mouth texture to
prepared dishes, sauces, cakes
and much more. A flagship
ingredient of French cuisine.
tFrench cream is associated with
French gastronomy and patisserie.
tIt is reputed for its subtle
flavour and technical qualities of
expansion when whipped and
performance during cooking or as
a topping.
Production: 438,000 tonnes
17% exported
Production: 341,000 tonnes
17% exported
“
What they say...
Cathy Strange,
cheese buyer for Whole Foods Market, the largest retailer
of imported cheeses in the United States.
“ I started importing French cheeses 25 years ago.
Getting to know the French cheese tradition helped me
to grasp the value of quality and authenticity. In New York,
French cheese is king. ”
Powders
World’s leading manufacturer
of powdered whey.
tThe French dairy industry
produces the widest range of
powders, from the most basic
to those with the highest protein
concentration, from milk or whey.
tFrance is the leading
manufacturer of demineralized
whey powder used for the
manufacture of baby formula.
Powdered whey
Production: 613,000 tonnes
54% exported
Yoghurts and
milk-based desserts
The world’s leading brands
of yoghurt are French.
tA highly innovative segment
boasting numerous types and
variations: yoghurts, fermented
milk, milk-based desserts (rice
pudding, crème caramel, crème
brûlée, and many more).
Production of yoghurts
and fermented milk:
1,601,000 tonnes
21% exported
Powdered whole
and semi-skimmed milk
Production: 435,000 tonnes
56% exported
Milk
Dual certification.
tIn addition to the regulations,
French packaged milk is certified
by the IPLC (professional
drinking-milk institute) which
provides a supplementary
guarantee in respect of safety,
health, nutritional value
and hygiene.
tWhether in cartons or bottles,
French packaged milk meets
all requirements. The range
comprises: UHT, micro-filtered
and pasteurized milk; natural
and flavoured milk, vitaminized,
rich in omega-3 and iron;
low-sugar, low-fat; organic.
Production: 3,638,000 tonnes
10% exported
Jason Wang,
Eric Kayser, baker.
chef of a French restaurant in Taiwan.
“ The quality of French cream is very good: it
is pure and stable. In cooked dishes,
it improves the flavour. In patisserie,
its subtle aromas make it possible to create
excellent desserts. ”
“ Along with flour and natural yeast,
butter is a key ingredient in my trade.
We pay great attention to its quality,
and select the best French butters
for our creations. It is crucial. ”
Art of living, French style
The French gastronomic meal is classified as part of the intangible
cultural heritage of humanity and cheese naturally forms part of it.
The UNESCO text cites cheese as it does wine in the elements that
constitute a French meal.
CNIEL
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+33 (0)1 49 70 71 11
www.maison-du-lait.com
Coordination: Rita Lemoine – Layout design, graphics: Cniel, Emapress
Cover: Emapress /fotolia pictrider, myabe – Photos: C.Hesly / Cniel,
JC.Coutausse / Cniel, F. Joly / Cniel, I. Dorpe / Qualipige / Cniel,
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