Carrefour : enters into a Label Rouge Quality Line agreement for beef, in partnership with the Cloé and EMC2 cooperatives

Carrefour has entered into a new Label Rouge Quality Line agreement for beef to ensure that livestock farmers are paid fairly and that animal welfare standards are adhered to. By the end of 2020, 70% of all beef on sale on traditional Carrefour hypermarket shelves will be certified.

Label Rouge beef - quality guaranteed
By entering into this Label Rouge Carrefour Quality Line agreement for beef, the retailer is undertaking to sell products that are in strict compliance with Label Rouge specifications, which are underpinned by:
- Animal welfare: farmers conduct daily checks to ensure that animals are clean and healthy and are properly treated. Measures are also taken to keep stress to a minimum during handling;
- Optimum rearing conditions: whenever the weather permits it, cattle are reared outdoors. At other times, the Label Rouge standard requires that they be kept in a building with appropriate stalls that meet their needs (clean plant-based litter, natural light, buildings that are large enough);
- A controlled diet: GMO-free, mainly grass-based for adult animals and milk-based for their young.

Better quality - a desire shared by both Carrefour and the joint livestock farmer trade organisation
At the General Meetings on Food, representatives of the joint livestock farmer trade organisation indicated that they wanted to introduce quality labels for consumers, of the kind that the retailer has in its traditional sections.
This partnership, set up with French farming cooperatives Cloé and EMC2, takes joint trade organisation indicators into account for the fair payment of farmers and opens up a series of regional contracts with other cooperatives, encouraging shorter distances between livestock farmers and Carrefour hypermarkets.

Partnerships with French producers facilitating the food transition
Since 1992, Carrefour Quality Lines have been acknowledging the work and expertise of producers committed to the initiative - producers throughout France who constantly strive to produce high-quality products. CQL producers adhere to strict specifications and use sustainable production methods designed to promote biodiversity and protect the environment. Each CQL contract between Carrefour and a French producer is for a long period (three years on average), providing them with visibility.

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