The return of Dijon mustard in blue, white, red
It has been deserted supermarket shelves for months, but its shortage could soon be coming to an end. Dijon mustard should restock store shelves from October 2022 to the delight of the French, deprived of their favorite condiment since the beginning of spring.
Victim of the drought and partly of the war in Ukraine, mustard is making a comeback thanks to a successful annual harvest, but above all thanks to the relocation of part of its production to France. In the space of a year, the Burgundian seed growers have doubled their production, enough to make up for the lack of seeds from abroad.
France, dependent on Canadian seeds
Originally, mustard was indeed a historic Burgundian speciality, renowned since medieval times. But in recent years, its seed production has continued to decline, developed on the other side of the Atlantic: the French harvest has fallen from 12,000 tonnes in 2017 to 4,000 tonnes in 2021.
A boon for Canada, the world’s leading producer of seeds, is not largely dependent on France: the country now supplies 80% of the seeds used, only the remaining 20% come from French fields. But hit hard by an extreme heat wave in 2021, Canadian harvests were halved from 2020 according to the Canadian Grain Commission, falling from 98,000 to 49,955 tonnes.
Relief for gourmets, the 2022 harvest, which will take place at the end of September-beginning of October in Canada, looks much better: the sector is planning a harvest of 115,000 tonnes.
Increase seed production
But if the little yellow pots are able to reappear from October, it is above all thanks to French know-how, relaunched with a bang this year. “We can envisage the end of the shortage in early 2023, upon receipt of Canadian seedsexplains Luc Vandermaesen, manager of the Reine de Dijon mustard factory and president of the Bourgogne Mustard Association (AMB). But the situation should improve from October, as soon as we can use the seeds from the Burgundian harvest 2022.”
Faced with shortcomings in the transatlantic harvests, local producers of French seeds were called upon by the sector in June to redouble their efforts this year. Harvested in August, the blue, white, red production jumped and reached more than 6,000 tonnes, one and a half times the figure of the previous year.
Double the capacity
The objective, according to Luc Vandermaesen, would be to increase to 15,000 tonnes in 2023 to meet 40% of the needs of French mustard makers. “This represents a multiplication by 2.5 of our current capacities, subject to good weather conditions.Farmers have responded: around 10,000 ha will be planted this fall », he concluded.
And to motivate growers to continue this made in France effort, the purchase price of seeds has been revised upwards: the price has risen from €900 in 2021 to €1,300 on average per ton in 2022, and could rise to €2,000 in 2023.
“Seed prices are high and will continue to be highemphasizes Marc Désarménien, general manager of the Edmond Fallot mustard factory. The market trend is on the rise, also over the coming years. So, to encourage growers to favor mustard rather than cereals, the sector decided to set a price before the harvest, so that the farmer could make discounts. »
A French seed 15 to 20% more expensive
For this high-end manufacturer, representing only 5% of the French market, the choice of a seed “100% Burgundy», in short circuit, is a proof for a long time. “We pay 15 to 20% more for the seed than the Canadian one,” continues Marc Désarménien.
An extra cost became an asset, its production not having been affected by the shortage of foreign seeds. Several competing companies are now heading in the same direction, following in the footsteps of Reine de Dijon, who has just committed to using only French seeds for the next three years.
More English but also more expensive: will customers be ready to increase more for their precious condiment? Professionals in the sector are not worried. “The French in general now seem to be in favor of a local, French mustard, and might be willing to pay slightly more than before», testifies Luc Vandermaesen. “Despite this increase, concluded Marc Désarménien, mustard remains a cheap product. »
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In numbers
Since 2009, the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Bourgogne mustard has made it possible to recognize 100% Bourgogne mustard with Burgundy mustard seeds, white wine under the Burgundy designation of origin and processed in Burgundy.
The former Burgundy region produced 90% of French mustard in 2015, i.e. 95,000 tonnes. French production represents 50% of European production.