French caviar farms eagerly await EU certificate of origin

After a decade of lobbying, Aquitaine farms are looking forward to their caviar finally receiving an EU certificate of origin in the new year. According to the European Union, “geographical indications” protect products from misuse or imitation of the registered name and assure buyers of their true origin. “We have nothing to hide,” says Laurent Dulot, managing director of Aquitaine’s largest farm in Saint-Fort-sur-Gironde, which produces 20 tons of fish eggs a year. He and his fellow producers hope that an EU certificate of origin will allow them to stand out in a market currently dominated by China and riddled with opaque labeling. “We're going to ensure full traceability – provenance, environmental responsibility and sustainability, and no genetically modified organisms or antibiotics,” he said. In the run-up to Christmas, French authorities confiscated and destroyed 17 kilograms of caviar, worth about 35,000 euros ($38,000), for failing to comply with health and safety ...