Save
France is upping its restaurant game with a new labeling system for foods that are “homemade.” Beginning today, a new black and white logo in the shape of a casserole with a rooftop will appear on restaurant foods that are presumably made from scratch.
The new labeling system was approved by the government in an effort to shed more light on the deceiving practice of reheating pre-cooked meals and passing them as fine cuisine, The Telegraph reports. Currently, as many as 85 percent of restaurants in the country serve vacuum-packed and frozen food without telling its customers, according to the Union of Hotel Industry Professions.
While the “homemade” system already has its critics, it’s intended as a means to reward chefs who observe high quality standards in producing in preparing meals from raw ingredients. However, there are a few loopholes in the system.
For instance, frozen fries at fast food restaurants cannot carry the label but all other frozen vegetables that have been peeled, chopped and frozen industrial can be considered “homemade” if they go into a dish that’s prepared at the restaurant.
To be considered homemade dishes must be made only from “raw ingredients,” which is defined as "a food product having undergone no significant modification, including being heated, marinated, assembled or a combination of these procedures,” according to The Telegraph. The law does allow for some exceptions such as bread, pasta, wine, cheese.
What do you make of France's “homemade” system? Will it increase restaurant standards? Should other countries follow suit? Tell us in the comments below.
