According to the Federation of the Canned Food Industry, 146,637 tons of jam were produced in France in 2020. Getty Images:
The magazine 60 million consumers carefully evaluated 40 links to strawberry and apricot jam. Here is the list.
A symbol of “French-style” breakfasts, jam is a must on our tables. If France is among the world leaders in that field, then it is difficult to assess the quality of a thousand and one references that fill our shelves. To track pesticides, additives, and evaluate their fruit and sugar content, our magazine partners 60 million consumers (1) conducted an extensive survey of 40 French references, focusing on two of the French’s favorite flavors: strawberry and apricot. Here are the best and worst jams on the charts.
Organic produce without pesticides
Like most organic products, organic jams (AB) saw a decline in sales in 2021. This decline in popularity is by no means synonymous with a drop in quality, quite the contrary. According to this survey, it becomes clear that organic jams are of much higher quality.
Among the 10 biological references on the panel, no trace of pesticides is observed. So it’s no surprise that these jams are rising to the top of the podium. As for apricot jams, the first place is taken by Confiturelle jam, which consists of 65% fruit and sells for €4.19 per 300g, scoring 15.5/20. On the second step of the podium, it is the extra and organic jam of Les Vergers des Alpilles, which stands out with a score of 15/20, consisting of 54% fruit and is sold at €3.59 for 370g.
Rising to the top of the rankings, this jam is made with 65% organic fruit. jam
Lovers of red fruits will prefer Paysan d’ici organic strawberry jam, which consists of 60% fruit. Sold at €4.73 per 320g and scoring 14/20, it is second only to Super U brand strawberry jam which retails at €1.73 per 300g. If it is not labeled organic, it still stands out for its conscientious composition, free of pesticides. Not to mention its attractive price.
The first place is taken by U brand strawberry jam, which consists of 65% fruits. U-system
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Pesticides are banned in France
To be entitled to the name “Jam”, preparations must be made with at least 35 g of fruit per 100 g of finished product. If the origin of the fruit is a very important criterion, unfortunately very few references are based on local production.
Worse, some brands take liberties by flying the French flag, even though the fruit in their recipe is neither French nor European in origin. This, in particular, explains the presence of non-regulating pesticides in some jams, such as Intermarché brand Paquito extra apricot jam, whose fruit origin is not specified, receiving a score of 7.5/20.
The jam should also contain up to 55% sugar to guarantee good keeping and a nice texture. Unfortunately, this excludes so-called “light” jams, which are full of acidifiers, juices, artificial sweeteners, texturing agents or even preservatives. This is the case of Cora light apricot jam, which is at the bottom of the rating. In fact, it is 50% fruit and contains many traces of pesticides that are banned in France. If the detected amounts remain low, they still pose a health risk.
Cora brand light apricot jam gets 9.5/20 points. Cora
When it comes to red fruits, Reflets de France strawberry jam, which retails at €2.69 for 325g, received the worst rating of the selection (9.5/20). Although all the fruit in his recipe comes from the Dordogne, there are traces of non-regulated pesticides. Links that no longer slide into your cart.
Reflets de France strawberry jam received the worst rating on the list. Reflections of France
(1) The full survey can be found in 60 Million Consumers magazine, which is now available booth .
Source: Le Figaro
