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The French livestock industry depends on imported genetically engineered (GE) feed, especially soybean, rapeseed, and corn. However, France has no commercial production or field trials of GE crops. While most French scientists and farmers are generally supportive of biotechnology, consumer attitudes toward GE are primarily negative.

On January 24, 2022 the French State Council provisionally overruled the December 2021 ministerial order banning the sale of raw CBD hemp flowers and leaves. The court noted that the flowers and leaves of cannabis sativa L. with a THC content of less than 0.3 percent were “devoid of narcotic properties” and could therefore be marketed in France.

The French food processing sector encompasses approximately 15,500 companies ranging from small family-owned businesses to some of the world’s largest multinationals. Widely regarded for global leadership in innovative technology, quality and marketing, French food processing companies provide employment to more than 433,000 people, generating $53 billion in export sales.

In 2020, French food and agricultural imports from the United States reached $1.32 billion. While exporting to France is complicated, there are many opportunities for U.S. suppliers.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks have already led to the culling of 15 million poultry birds in France (approximately 5 percent of the total poultry flock). Dozens of new cases are being discovered every day. The new variant of the HPAI H5N1 virus appears to be highly transmissible and is spreading rapidly through reproductive flocks of broilers, ducks and egg laying hens.

France has no commercial production or field trials of genetically engineered (GE) crops. The French livestock industry depends on imported GE products for feed, especially soybean, rapeseed, and corn.

France as a member of the European Community has implemented EU regulations for the import of animal and plant products.

France, as a member of the European Union (EU), generally follows EU directives, regulations, and obligations. This report focuses on food laws in force in France that cover areas which are not EU harmonized.

Recent French decrees set specific targets for reducing single-use plastic package waste by 2025, including a mandate for reusing packaging, starting 1 January 2022. The decrees are based on the Circular Economy and Fight Against Waste Law which ultimately seeks to ban all plastic packaging by 2040.

France is the third largest industrial hemp producer in the world and the top producer in Europe. The French hemp production and processing industry is heavily regulated with national and European Union laws and regulations.

A French ban on the sales of fruit and vegetables with identifying stickers threatens exports of U.S. sweet potatoes (approx. $20 million in sales annually) and grapefruits ($8 million annually).

During the Covid-19 pandemic the French government designated the retail sector as essential and most firms had a continuity in operations.