INAO National Institute for original and quality

The Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), now called National Institute for original and quality is a French public administration under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture.  It assists producers who engage in quality processes and manages more generally, signs identifying the origin and quality products in France.

The head of the INAO in Paris
It started with the Law of 1^st August 1905 which gives the administration the task of delineating areas where crop production can benefit from an appellation of origin. This law does not provide any quality charter; it does not solve the problems of overproduction facing the wine industry at the time.

The Act of May 6^th 1919 states the zoning designation of controlled administrative tribunals. They are also responsible for defining its uses. This is another failure: the whole industry is faced with the courts and the procedures are long and often hazardous.

The wine industry does not cease to plunge into crisis; INAO was created by Decree-Law on July 30^th 1935. It combines the administrative, judicial and professional systems. The product included in the INAO benefits from inherited characteristics of natural and human factors.

This law provides the recognition of AOCs and their regulators are entrusted to a public institution. INAO submit proposals to the ministries. The decree law of 1935 is crucial because it protects not only the product name, but its features and its strong link with its locality.
In 1990, the economic success of the AOC for the wine industry grew to extend the powers of the INAO to all agricultural production (Act of July 2).  INAO declared 2005 as “Year of the soil”, and supported the organization of conferences and debate.  Moreover, INAO published a book “The Taste of origin”.

On September 15^th 2005, an agreement was signed between the European Union and the United States regarding the recognition of their respective names on wines as “denominations of origin”.  The French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Christine Lagarde told the National Assembly: “The government is very attentive to the protection of geographical indications and our transatlantic relationship.”

The United States currently use applications like champagne or Chablis which is not acceptable. They also multiply controls of the import of French wines.  The agreement provides that they shall refrain from Champagne or Chablis designations, and “they recognize our quality control.”

The stakes: the AOC wine represented in 2005 46% of French production, with 470 titles, and 80% of turnover in the sector (11 billion euros). In early 2007, the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine incorporated the functions of the National Commission of labels and certifications (NPB).