France Grenoble
Food production
Social and Economic Equity
Supply & Distribution

The Isère Department creates the territorial brand “Is(h)ere” to encourage the consumption of local products

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Isère Department

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Context

For the past ten years, consumption of local products is rising, as an answer to food safety crisis (mad cow disease, lasagna with horse meat, …), but also the wish to have a better control of what we eat (not too fat, neither sweet nor salty) and avoid potential related health problems.

In 2014, the French “law for the future of agriculture, food and forest” was voted.  The Food National Program was created, as well as the concept of “ Territorial Food Project” (TFP). The TFP is based on a territorial food system assessment, to better understand the food flows and food sustainability issues on the territory. TFP were born to foster local food economy at a territorial scale. To facilitate direct connection between farmers and consumers and certify the origin of the food,  a lot of food labels were created. It is when the territorial brand “Is(h)ere” was born, in June 2018 (“Isère” is a French region, and that’s a pun with the English “is here”).

Project

In order to highlight and valorize the products from the Isère’s department, a few local organizations got together to think about the possible actions. Thereby, the Isère’s Department, the project leader, Grenoble Metropole, Voiron, Grésivaudan, the North Isère Grenoble Trade and Industry Chambers, Isère’s professions and handicraft Chamber and the agricultural Chamber, came together to made up the label Is(h)ere.
An agreement committee was formed to attribute the right to use the label. The committee is made of producers, traders, craftsmen and restaurants and consummatory’ representants. The label is thus attribute for 3 years to specific products and not for a company’s whole range of products.

The brand was created to support the agriculture in the Isère department and for the producers to enhance the local origin of their products. Indeed, Is(h)ere is in France one of the first labels to secure at the same time the geographic origin and fair wage for the producers. 

The objective is to secure the geographic origin (untreated cultivated or raised products in Isère, but also transformed products made from a majority of Isère’s raw material), the quality, and the fair payment of the farmers for awarded products. A strict charter was defined with the sector’s professionals and with INAO (National Institute of Origin and quality).

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Results

This brand supports local production and producers, through different marketing channels : wholesalers, dairymen cheesemakers, supermarkets, groceries, bakeries, organics’ products’ shop, school canteens of the Isère’s Department, etc. 

Besides, since the label can be attributed to both row and processed products, the beneficiaries from Is(h)ere can be farmers, craftsmen or local agri-food’s companies.

This label affects several products’ category, such as alcohols, meat, candies, jams and ice-creams, grocery’s products, vegetables, honeys, plants, eggs, walnut’s-based products, etc. In total, 276 agricultural products were accepted in 2018, and identified on this interactive map

The approach is helping Isère’s farmers to live from their production and to maintain local agricultural farms in Isère.

The Little Extra

The producers who already have the label “Bienvenue à la Ferme” (Welcome to the Farm), could automatically benefit of the label Is(h)ere. Besides, it’s compatible with other labels, such as AOP and IGP (that protect the origin of the product).

For the label Is(h)ere, a consulting agency is in charge of controlled audits, to test the origin of the products and the distribution of the value along the food chain.

The label is enhancing locally produced and processed products, for a secure a fair salary to the producer/processor, but also a sanitary and environmentally engagement on the production.

Written by Perrine Azière, LFC volunteer - April 2020.

Last modification : 07 May 2020.

Isère Department

9 Rue Jean Bocq 38000 Grenoble France

The territorial brand “Is (h) ère” was created in order to support Isère agriculture and allow producers wishing to highlight the local provenance of their products.

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