2023-11-24 18:52:31
The European Commission has just granted salt and fleur de sel from Île de Ré (Charente-Maritime) the benefit of a protected geographical indication (PGI). “I find it hard to believe it, but it’s official,” says Louis Merlin, president of APSIR, the Association of Salt Producers on the Ile de Ré.
This process, which began in 2009, will have required a lot of effort from the hundred or so salt workers based on the Ile de Ré. “I ended up forgetting the number of versions proposed, refined, modified,” smiles Louis Merlin who fought for a long time to obtain this distinction from the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) and the European Union. “We are reinforced in our DNA. This IGP is a pillar for our identity, for the maintenance and development of our products,” he rejoices.
The smile found
Like their Guérande counterparts who already benefit from it, Relais salt producers will be able to mention this IGP on their production in the next few weeks. “This sign of quality benefits from real recognition from consumers. It is also very well identified, it is a great support for notoriety,” believes Louis Merlin.
Burned in recent months by “the battle for organic salt”, the Rais should therefore find a smile again. The scope of this new IGP extends to the Ile de Ré alone. The protected geographical indication also protects the ancestral gestures and know-how of the Rétais salt producers as well as demanding specifications and the traceability of their products.
To harvest salt and the precious fleur de sel, salt workers depend solely on the sun and strong seasonality.
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