“Processed garlic from France is a real asset for the sector”

The current context of climate change has been increasingly affecting the countryside and increasing the proportion of category II garlic in France. The French Interprofessional Garlic Association is therefore inviting the food industry to use dehydrated garlic purees and garlic from French production. This development makes sense and has enormous potential, given that 99% of the garlic processed and incorporated into the food industry in France and Europe actually comes from China.

Adding value to the entire French garlic production
"The climatic disruptions lead to harvests of heterogeneous quality, with burst skins, missing pods, spots on the cloves... This was the case last year, when heavy storms hit at harvest time, resulting in major sorting discrepancies," explains Hélène Rouffaud of ANIAIL. Despite these slight visual defects, the category II garlic "retained all its nutritional qualities and remained healthy." Depending on the year, this could represent "a major challenge for producers and their marketers" and "a real opportunity for the processing sector."

Development potential for processed garlic from France
The garlic processing market (purees, dehydrated, frozen) is a privileged channel, but does not allow us to exploit all the volumes involved, even though it offers significant development potential. Indeed, France mirrors the European market: 99% of the garlic processed and incorporated into food industry recipes comes from China.

French origin: a strategic positioning
Choosing preparations made from garlic that is produced and processed in France means "responding to the ever-increasing consumer demand for French products. It means helping to maintain dynamic regions by supporting the development of companies, producers and the many official signs of quality and origin: Purple Garlic of Cadours (PGI), White Garlic of Lomagne (PGI), Garlic of the Drôme (PGI), Pink Garlic of Lautrec (PGI and Red Label), Smoked Garlic of Arleux (PGI). This important list will be further enriched in the coming years with the Pink Garlic of Billom and the Garlic of Piolenc. These official certifications of origin and quality can be an excellent part of a brand differentiation strategy." But French garlic is also the guarantee of "quality garlic that is rich in aroma and produced with respect for the environment, meeting strict specifications and quality standards."

Garlic producers need processors to add value to part of their production, and the support of food manufacturers is necessary to develop the processing of garlic from France. "To develop this sector, manufacturers can establish upstream contracts with producers. In order to secure their supply, growers can even consider changing their technical itinerary to produce larger quantities of this garlic for processing."