What are the AOP and AOC for lavender in France?
Lavender is a typical product of the Mediterranean basin and the south of France. Some lavender-based products or those derived from the lavender flower hold certifications such as AOP, AOC, IGP, and Label Rouge.
The Role of Certifications
AOP and AOC
IGP (Protected Geographical Indication)
Label Rouge
Certifications serve multiple purposes: they allow consumers to clearly identify the origin of a product and help producers enhance the value of their production. For a country like France, these certifications highlight regional expertise, regulate certain claims, and promote local production on a global scale.
Note: In France, the INAO (Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité) is responsible for overseeing the official French system for identifying quality and origin.
AOP and AOC
AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée - Protected Designation of Origin) and AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée - Controlled Designation of Origin) go hand in hand. The AOC is the French equivalent of the AOP: AOC protects the product name within France, while AOP extends this protection across the European Union. These certifications guarantee that the product "has been processed and produced in a specific geographical area."
Haute-Provence Lavender Essential Oil (or Haute-Provence Lavender Essence) holds both AOP and AOC status. As of 2005, these certifications:
Covered a geographical area of 800,000 hectares,
Included 69 producers,
Represented a production area of 2,000 hectares,
Accounted for 20 tons of AOC-certified production.
These certifications apply to 284 municipalities across four departments:
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Hautes-Alpes
Drôme
Vaucluse
IGP (Protected Geographical Indication)
Some lavender-related products carry the IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée - Protected Geographical Indication) label, such as "Miel de Lavande de Provence" (Provence Lavender Honey).
"Provence honey is produced by bees from the nectar or honeydew they collect from the spontaneous flora of Provence or from specific cultivated plants of the region."
This IGP designation applies to all six departments of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, covering more than 1,300 municipalities.
Label Rouge
This label is granted to certain "Miel de Lavande et de Lavandin" (Lavender and Lavandin Honey). It is managed and promoted by the Syndicat des Miels de Provence et des Alpes du Sud (Provence and Southern Alps Honey Syndicate).
There is also a Label Rouge certification for "Miel Toutes Fleurs de Provence" (All-Flower Honey from Provence), which guarantees its Provence origin and ensures it comes from the region’s characteristic flora.
Note: The AOP/AOC "Miel de Corse - Mele di Corsica" (Corsican Honey) may partly contain maritime lavender for its Spring Maquis Honey category, one of six categories of Corsican honey.
Additionally, lavender can be cultivated using organic farming methods, allowing lavender-based products to be certified Organic Agriculture (as is the case with the lavender fields at Terre Ugo). Other certifications for lavender or its derived products include Demeter, Ecocert, Bio Cohérence, Nature & Progrès, and more.