Guide

Selling own-brand to French supermarkets: the standards stack

France layers a unique combination of EU food law, national quality labels (Label Rouge, AOP/AOC, AB, HVE), the GFSI processor scheme (IFS Food, born French), retailer-specific codes, and three rounds of EGalim legislation that legislate origin labelling, farmer-margin floors and promotional limits. Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Intermarché (Les Mousquetaires), Auchan, Casino, Système U, Lidl France and Monoprix each run own-brand programmes above the legal and IFS baselines. This guide maps the French stack and the EGalim context any incoming supplier has to understand.

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The French stack — legal floor plus IFS plus labels plus retailer code

Layer 0 is EU and French law: hygiene package, INCO origin labelling, the three EGalim laws (2018, 2021, 2023) which set farmer-margin floors, restrict promotional depth on food, and require origin declaration for many categories. Layer 1 is national quality labels — Label Rouge (superior quality, audited by ODG and INAO-recognised certification bodies), AOP/AOC (protected designation of origin), IGP (protected geographical indication), AB (Agriculture Biologique, the French organic mark), HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale, environmental certification for farms), and STG (specialité traditionnelle garantie). Layer 2 is the GFSI processor certificate — IFS Food dominates France (the scheme is jointly French and German in origin), BRCGS and FSSC accepted. Layer 3 is the retailer code: Carrefour Quality Lines, Leclerc 'Marque Repère' programme, Intermarché's vertically integrated 'Agromousquetaires' standards, Casino/Monoprix own-brand programmes, Système U cooperative standards, Auchan 'Filière Responsable'.

EGalim 1, 2 and 3 — the legislated context

EGalim 1 (2018) created the SRP+10 minimum-resale-margin floor on food, capped promotional discounts at 34% in value and 25% in volume, and required producer-organisation negotiation. EGalim 2 (2021) extended margin protection to agricultural raw-material indexation in supplier contracts and forced transparency on cost components. EGalim 3 (2023) tightened deadlines for annual negotiations and increased sanctions for non-compliance. For an own-brand supplier, EGalim shapes the commercial conversation: the retailer cannot demand prices below the indexed agricultural cost line, and origin labelling on meat, dairy and many produce categories is legislated rather than voluntary.

Carrefour, Leclerc and Intermarché — the French big three

Carrefour's 'Filière Qualité Carrefour' (Carrefour Quality Lines) is a producer-partnership programme with extensive farm-level requirements above Label Rouge in many categories. E.Leclerc operates 'Marque Repère' and 'Nos Régions ont du Talent' with strong national-origin emphasis. Intermarché (Les Mousquetaires) is vertically integrated via Agromousquetaires (62 production sites) — for external suppliers, Intermarché's standards mirror the internal manufacturing standard and the technical team scrutinises evidence accordingly. All three operate announced and unannounced visits and tie complaint trends to listing reviews.

Casino, Monoprix, Système U, Auchan and Lidl France

Casino Group (Casino, Monoprix, Franprix) runs own-brand programmes with strong sustainability and welfare claims; Monoprix's premium urban positioning carries tighter declaration-accuracy expectations. Système U is a cooperative of independent retailers with collective quality programmes. Auchan's 'Filière Responsable Auchan' (FRA) is a farmer-partnership model on the Carrefour pattern. Lidl France runs the Lidl supplier programme described in the DACH guide, adapted to French origin and EGalim expectations.

Practical readiness — building for France

Start with IFS Food at the highest grade you can sustain; French retailers expect Higher Level for own-brand. Build the EGalim documentation pack: indexed cost transparency, origin attestation for every claim that requires it, and contract clauses aligned to current EGalim deadlines. Decide early which national labels (Label Rouge, AB, HVE) the product needs — they are differentiators in French retail and many retailer programmes (Carrefour Quality Lines, Auchan FRA) effectively require an equivalent commitment. Treat unannounced IFS visits and retailer technical visits as the norm.

Where this lives in V5 Ultimate

The clauses above aren't theoretical — every one maps to a shipped module and an industry profile. Jump to the parts of the product that turn this guide into evidence on a Monday morning.

Modules that do the work

Industries this hits hardest

Food & beverage Bakery & confectionery Sausage & meat products Ingredients & dry mixes

Frequently asked

Is IFS Food preferred over BRCGS in France?

Yes by a clear margin. IFS Food is the default GFSI scheme in France; BRCGS and FSSC 22000 are accepted but IFS is what French technical teams expect for own-brand.

What does EGalim mean for an own-brand supplier?

Three things: a price floor that protects the agricultural raw-material cost (the retailer cannot demand below that), legislated origin labelling on meat and dairy, and capped promotional depth (34% value, 25% volume) that limits the discount pressure on food. The commercial conversation is more constrained than pre-2018.

Do I need Label Rouge or AB to sell own-brand?

Not for every product, but national labels are commercially powerful in France. Carrefour Quality Lines, Auchan Filière Responsable and Leclerc 'Nos Régions' programmes effectively require an equivalent commitment for their flagship lines.

How does HVE fit in?

Haute Valeur Environnementale is the French environmental certification for farms (three levels, level 3 is the recognised mark). Retailers increasingly require HVE or equivalent for produce, wine and some arable categories as part of sustainability commitments.

See it on your shop floor.

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