French border police destroyed nearly 35,000 bottles of a soft drink called "Couronne Fruit champagne" from the Haitian Brasserie La Couronne S.A.

This drink was seized in October 2021 after customs in Le Havre (North of France) noticed the label "Couronne Fruit Champagne"

French customs indicated that the bottles of the orange drink were intended for sale on the French market.

In October 2022, a Paris court ruled that the bottles should be destroyed because they violated the "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" (AOC) regulations which state that only sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France can use the name Champagne.

There are currently more than 121 countries following the decision on the use of the name "Champagne" according to the Professional Champagne Association.

Charles Goemaere, Director General of the Champagne Committee, said that their destruction reinforces the importance of the regulations recalling "The fight against the abuse of the name of Champagne began in 1844 and has not stopped since."

Before being seized for infringement on the Champagne title, the same product had been the subject of an investigation by the Department of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention. It was also recalled due to excessive amounts of benzoic acid, a preservative commonly used in foods and beverages.

HL/ HaitiLibre