Labels certifying local food sourcing and fair pay for farmers are gaining ground in France as organic products, which are often more expensive, struggle to maintain consumer interest.

The French fair trade label Agri-Ethique, created in 2013 by a collective of producers, aims to ensure fair remuneration for producers while keeping prices accessible for consumers.

In 2024, products with the label reached €911 million in sales, a 75% increase from €520 million the year before. Even in 2023, amid high inflation in France, it had already posted 14% growth.

Another label, C’est qui le patron?! (“Who’s the Boss?”), was created in 2016 by a consumer collective to guarantee fair pay for dairy producers. In 2020, it reached nearly €102 million in turnover, up 13% from the year before. Despite persistent challenges in France’s dairy sector, the label recorded a 12% increase in milk sales at the end of 2024.

While the organic label has been in crisis in France for several years – marked by declining consumption – the success of these labels with social added value is striking

Price stability: a key factor
One major benefit of ‘social’ labels compared to traditional or organic products is price stability.

This is made possible through a commercial model supported by French legislation and the ‘Origine France’ fair trade charter, which define the principles of local fair trade.

For Agri-Ethique, price stability comes from multi-year contracts involving all actors in the supply chain. These set the price of raw materials for a minimum period of three years, regardless of market fluctuations.

According to Ludovic Brindejonc, the label’s director, these practices provide income stability for producers and predictable prices for consumers, while enhancing visibility for food products.

While the label does not explicitly cite environmental goals as one of its conditions. Brindejonc says that “without long-term economic commitment”, it’s difficult for producers to engage in environmental transition. Still, 25% of the label’s products are organic, and their stable pricing has shielded them from the broader downturn in the organic sector.

Local is the new focal
As growth in France’s organic food sector has slowed – and remains niche – another driver behind the rise of ‘social’ labels is the growing demand for local products.

“In a period of crisis that is causing anxiety, consumers are looking for a sense of identity and belonging,” said Yves Madre, founder and director of the think tank Farm Europe.

This connection encourages consumers to “pay more for a product that is not necessarily of better quality, but whose origin is known,” the expert added.

Still, Madre cautions against profit-driven motives behind some fair trade efforts.

“We have seen that, in the case of some fair trade labels, the label was supposed to provide advice to farmers, but the financial added value went mainly to the advisory structure rather than to the farmers themselves,” he said.

However, he notes that when labels are created and managed by producer associations, this risk is lower.

A sense of community
Some fair trade labels go a step further, building communities of committed consumers around their products.

In the case of the C’est qui le patron?!, “prices are not set based on world prices or trends,” but according to a “fair price,” said Marie, who, along with many other consumers, helps determine that price and the product specifications through an online vote.

To ensure their vote is informed, the most committed members consumers (like Marie) visit farms with agricultural engineers and speak directly to producers about their production costs.

This transparency and consumer involvement in price-setting helps create a loyal community – one that continues to support products even as prices rise.

The community spirit is what protected the label during inflation, Marie added. “We created the products, so we want to support them.”

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