Poulet Rouge Fermier...
The French Label Rouge Program
Of all the specialty programs, the French Label Rouge program is regarded by most as producing the best poultry and meat products in the world. Although these products cost over twice as much as commercial products (which the French refer to as "industrial" products), Label Rouge chicken accounts for 30% of the poultry sales in France.
The Label Rouge requirements are much more stringent than any program in America, including "All-Natural", "Free Range", "Certified Organic", "Certified Free Farmed" and "Certified Humanely Raised".
Label Rouge began in France in the sixties as a grassroots movement led by farmers in the Landes region in Southwestern France. After World War II, as poultry became more industrialized, demand grew in France for the taste of traditionally raised farm chickens.
The Label Rouge program focuses on high-quality products, mainly meat, with poultry making up most of the products. It emphasizes quality attributes such as taste, culinary qualities, free-range production, and food safety. The average consumer can note a positive difference in taste between Label Rouge poultry and industrial poultry-in fact, regular taste-testing is a certification requirement to prove that these products are "vividly distinguishable" from conventional poultry.
The main reason for the superior taste is the use of slow-growing birds instead of the fast-growing birds used for industrial production. The slow-growing birds are from old rustic genetic stocks and are grown longer than industrial birds before they are processed. The meat is flavorful and firm, but not tough. In France, these birds are labeled and marketed as "Poulet Fermier" (farm chicken) and the region from which they are grown (ex. Poulet Fermier du Normand is Farm Chicken from Normandy).
The reputation of the higher culinary qualities of French Label Rouge poultry makes it popular throughout Europe with both retail customers and fine dining chefs.