The Bergerac Criminal Court has handed down its verdict: a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €50,000 [58,900 USD] fine. On Monday, June 30th, the manager of Fruits Rouges du Périgord (currently in receivership), based in Capdrot, Dordogne, was found guilty of deception. More than 400 tons of red fruit (among other things) of various origins had been relabelled as "French Origin" between 2020 and 2021. The DGCCRF launched an investigation following the broadcast of the program 'Zone Interdite' on M6 in July 2022.
Fraud revealed by a hidden camera
The cheating was revealed on the program 'Zone Interdite' broadcast on July 26th, 2022, devoted to summer scams. A journalist infiltrated the Fruits Rouges du Périgord warehouse and filmed it using a hidden camera. The footage showed trays of imported fruit repackaged and relabelled as French. Following the broadcast of the report, the fraud control authorities launched an investigation. According to the newspaper Sud-Ouest, an anonymous letter denouncing the practice was sent after the broadcast.
Red fruit from Morocco, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Guatemala
The products concerned included raspberries, blueberries, and redcurrants, as well as blackberries, blackcurrants, chestnuts, and kiwis. They came from Morocco, Portugal, the Netherlands, and, to a lesser extent, Guatemala. In all, 412 tons of produce were concerned. According to the DGCCRF, these products were then "resold to large and medium-sized retailers, and found throughout France," on the shelves of supermarkets such as Auchan, Leclerc, Carrefour, and U shops.
5% of annual national red fruit production
According to Coordination Rurale, the volumes fraudulently sold are equivalent to around 5% of annual national soft fruit production," or the equivalent of over €1.5 million [1.77 million USD] in diverted sales, to the detriment of French producers."
For Sébastien Héraud, a producer in Lamonzie-Saint-Martin (Dordogne) and head of the fruit and vegetable section of Coordination Rurale, "this affair shows once again that we need to step up controls, really protect the origin of agricultural products and heavily penalize those who cheat. French producers are the first to suffer from these frauds. They respect - and suffer from - these rules, the seasons, and labor costs, and they are penalized twice over: economically and in terms of image."
In its indictment, the public prosecutor asked for a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €150,000 [176,700 USD] fine. In the end, he received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €50,000 [58,900 USD] fine. In addition to the fine, he will have to pay €5,000 [5,890 USD] in damages to Coordination Rurale and €1,000 [1,178 USD] to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Trade Association (Interfel).
Francisation: "a priority renewed in 2025"
In 2024, nearly 10,000 checks were carried out by the DGCCRF, "revealing anomalies in around 30% of cases and leading to the issuing of 1,802 warnings, 588 injunctions, and 562 penalty notices," according to the French Ministry of Agriculture. As a reminder, in 2024, a wholesaler in the Loir-et-Cher region was fined more than €100,000 [117,800 USD] for fraud on almost 4,547 tons of strawberries, 278 tons of raspberries and 194 tons of blueberries between 2019 and 2021. "Respect for products Made in France and francization have been government priorities for several years now, and they will continue to be priorities in 2025," explained Sarah Lacoche, director of the DGCCRF, at a press conference in March 2025.
Amalgams: "This is not the action of a wholesale company"
Following this condemnation, the French Trade Union for the Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Sector (UNCGFL) reacted and warned of the amalgam made with the profession of wholesaler, "a profession unfairly singled out." The union, which represents fruit and vegetable wholesalers, "unreservedly condemns this manager's deception," but points out that this is not "the action of a wholesale company."
"Some media outlets are relying solely on NAF code 4631Z - common to all fruit and vegetable inter-company trade - and wrongly blaming wholesalers. These unfair claims damage the image of our profession. Furthermore, Interfel, of which we are a member, vigorously condemns these abuses and systematically brings civil action in such cases. Wholesalers play a key role in the food chain. Wholesalers are local players rooted in the regions, supplying thousands of professionals (local shops, markets, canteens, hospitals, restaurants…) with fresh, healthy, and seasonal fruit and vegetables every day."
