Label Rouge, our poultry

Our poultry carries Label Rouge: chicken, guinea fowl and duck all year, and the festive birds, turkey, capon, fattened hen and goose, in their season. Two exceptions: the spring chicken and the quail carry no label. It is a French state-issued quality label, created in 1965 under the French agricultural reform law, awarded only to products whose taste quality is demonstrably superior to the standard AND which meet a strict specification per breed and region.

In practice: slow-growing breeds, outdoor access in a delimited zone (typically with a minimum surface per bird), plant-based feed containing at least 75 % cereals, and a minimum slaughter age of 81 days for chicken, nearly double the 35-40 days for industrial chicken. For capon or guinea fowl, the minimum ages are higher still.

Each specification is reviewed before approval by INAO (Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité); annual on-farm audits are conducted by INAO-approved certifying bodies such as Bureau Veritas or Certipaq. The red rectangle bearing 'Label Rouge' and the approval number may only appear on a product once those audits have been passed.