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Wikipedia Commons - Kevin.B
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Customs officials in the French port city of Le Havre destroyed almost 35,000 bottles of lemonade from Haiti that were to be sold in France a few days ago. The label bore the name "Couronne Fruit Champagne". They had been confiscated at the port because they had used the protected designation of origin (AOP) of Champagne unlawfully. In October 2022, a court in Paris had decided that the marketing of the bottles "could affect the protected designation of origin Champagne" and ordered the destruction of the stock, the French customs as well as the Champagne industry association CIVC wrote in their press releases. The destruction has now been carried out "with the utmost respect for the environment" and the packaging, contents and containers have been recycled in an environmentally friendly way.

The destruction of the soda cans came about a month after the destruction of beer cans called "Champagne of beers" in Antwerp, Belgium. According to the French wine magazine "Vitisphere", the CIVC invests about one million euros a year in the protection of its AOP. Every year, about 500 examinations and proceedings are opened against all kinds of products that use the designation of origin Champagne. "The use of the name Champagne for products other than our wine is illegal and punishable. They aim to divert the name's recognition and thus profit from part of the image of the Champagne name. This type of use contributes to weakening the reputation of the appellation," said Charles Goemaere, Director General of the Comité Champagne.

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