The snail and heliciculture market - France

1.2 The global market

The global snail market is constantly evolving. Indeed, it is growing year on year, as consumers in different countries around the world increasingly accept this type of food, thanks in particular to the virtues it can have.

In ****, the global snail market was worth $*** million, according to Foodive. At that time, the market was expected to grow at a CAGR of *% until ****, reaching $***.** million.

evolution of snail market size World, ****-*****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

1.3 The domestic market

France is the world's leading consumer of snails, with **,*** tons of live equivalent per year, and is also the leading processor of this type of product. Snails have even been elevated to the status of "emblematic dish" of French gastronomy. Snails are eaten in all their forms, whether fresh, canned or frozen. Although most consumers are located in eastern France, they can be found all over the country, and recipes abound. Snails can be prepared with garlic butter, flavored jelly or as a flambéed stew. In the south-west, they are cooked with bacon and wine; in Provence, with fennel, rosemary and olive oil. The two most popular French snails are the escargot de Bourgogne and the petit-gris. Burgundy snails are mainly harvested in the east of the country (***). However, the best-known varieties are becoming increasingly rare. And producers are turning to imports. Petit-gris, also known as "cagouille" in the south-west, is found mainly in the south and west of the country.

Although snail "cultivation" remains a pick-your-own affair for many individuals, a national production industry was created in the ****s. This was the first attempt at snail farming since the monks of the Middle Ages. Today, there are around *** professional ...

1.4 Foreign trade

Despite its reputation as a snail country, France imports the vast majority of its domestic consumption. In fact, **% of snails consumed in France are imported. [***]

In order to study the level of French imports and exports, we used customs code ******, which defines trade in "live snails, fresh, chilled, frozenrefrigerated, frozen, salted, dried or in brine, whether or not smoked, with or without shell (***)" on the UN Comtrade website.

evolution of imports of live snails, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, dried or in brine, whether or not smoked, with or without shell (***) France, ****-****, in millions of US dollars Source: ****

We can see from the graph above that the level of French snail imports has fallen since ****, from $**.* million in imported snails that year to $**.* million in ****, a **% drop in imports. The main countries exporting snails to France are Eastern European countries, led by Lithuania and Romania, which sold $*.* million and $*.* million worth of snails to France in **** respectively. Main countries of export to France of snails, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, dried or in brine, whether or not smoked, with or without shell (***) France, ****, in millions of US dollars Source: ****

evolution of French exports of snails, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, dried ...

2.1 National demand for snails

Snail consumption in France currently stands at around **,*** tonnes, broken down as follows: between ** and **,*** tonnes are imported from Eastern European countries, between *,*** and *,*** tonnes are collected and consumed in France itself, and only *,*** tonnes are cultivated in France. [***]

2.2 Seasonality of demand

There's a certain seasonality to the demand for snails. Indeed, searches for the term "escargot" on Google peak every year at the end of December, during the holiday season.

evolution of interest in the search "escargot" on Google France, ****-****, base *** = **-** /**/**** Source: ****

like searches for the simple term "escargot", searches for the term "escargot de Bourgogne" also experience a resurgence of interest during the festive season.

evolution of searches for the term "escargot de Bourgogne" on Google France, ****-****, base *** = December **-**, **** Source: ****

2.3 Demand from traditional foodservice

The demand for snails in France is also driven by the traditional restaurant trade. Indeed, as this foodstuff is characteristic of French gastronomy, traditional restaurants may be attracted by the idea of offering snail-based dishes on their menus.

Unlike the fast-food sector, the traditional restaurant sector in France has been stagnating since at least the beginning of the decade. Indeed, since ****, the traditional foodservice market was worth around ** billion euros. However, since ****, the sector seems to be regaining its dynamism (***), since the sales index for the first * months of **** forecasts a market size that could reach **.*** billion euros this year .

This value was obtained from the annual averages of the monthly sales indices provided by INSEE, multiplied by the market value in **** provided by INSEE, and then by the following market sizes. For example, for year n+*, we made the following calculation: Market size in year n+* = market size in year n * average of monthly sales indices in year n+*.

Traditional foodservice market size France, ****-****, in billions of euros INSEE

Since ****, however, traditional restaurants seem to be holding up better, as evidenced by the sales indices provided byINSEE. Alongside the decline in theme restaurants and cafeterias, the performance of the ...

3.1 Production process

Most farmers practice mixed farming, partly in air-conditioned buildings or greenhouses and partly in outdoor parks. This approach speeds up the natural cycle. A year of helicon production comprises * main stages:

Hibernation, reproduction and incubation in buildings with controlled climatic conditions. Growth and fattening in outdoor pens. Between the two, a period of nursery is possible, either in a greenhouse or in a pen.

Hibernation

Hibernation concerns breeding stock and unfinished animals. It takes place between October and January (***) and a controlled temperature of between *°C and *°C. For *,*** to *,*** breeding animals, ** to *** m² of space are required.

Breeding

Reproduction begins the week following the end of hibernation. The breeding period lasts from two to four months, depending on the spat requirements of the farm. They are housed in rooms where the temperature is around **°C, humidity **-**% and light ** hours a day. The snails mate and lay their eggs ** days later on a substrate prepared by a specialist.

Incubation

The eggs are incubated at **°C. After * weeks, around a hundred newborn snails emerge. These newborn snails are called spats.

Nursery

Hatchlings can be placed in nurseries for up to * weeks. Conditions are identical to those for breeding snails.

Growth and ...

3.2 Market forces and players

In ****, Christophe Simoncelli carried out a survey for ASPERSA (***) on the different market players and their characteristics. He was able to collect *** returns from snail farmers, *** of which were usable. Nearly ** producers he knew to be still in business declined to reply. However, the number of responses provided a partial but fairly accurate analysis of the current situation.

As can be seen from the map above, a large proportion of heliculteurs are located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Indeed, there are ** in this region, representing **.*% of the total number of heliculteurs studied by ASPERA. In second place is Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, with **.*% of national heliculteurs. The Grand-Est region completes the podium, with **.*% of all snail farmers in France.

Source: ****

3.3 Satuts and year of implantation

The heliculteurs studied have different statuses:

Primary farmer: This status is awarded when the farmer carries out his activity on an area at least equal to half the minimum installation area. They must also devote at least half their time to this activity, and generate **% of their income from it. Joint contributor: In France, this is a person who farms a small area. This is primarily a legal status. This status implies contributions to the MSA, the farmers' social security organization. Other statuses

Status of helicolous farms studied France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph below shows the growth in the number of helicolous farms in France. Indeed, the period with the highest number of installations is ****-****, with ***.

Year of installation of heliculteurs France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The graph below shows that the trend among these new businesses has always been towards farmers as their main occupation. The status of joint contributor developed especially from the **s and reached **% of new market entrants over the ****-**** period, i.e. ** heliculteurs. Over the same period, ** new heliculteurs obtained the status of principal farmer.

Status of companies created France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

3.4 Farm area

Helicole farms vary in size. In terms of the number of farms, the areas between *** and *** m* and those between *** and **** m* are the most numerous, with **% and **% of farms respectively. In terms of surface area, those between *** and **** m* account for most of the total surface area farmed in France. On the other hand, areas of over *,***m*, which account for only *% of the total number of farms, occupy **% of the total area farmed.

Helicole farms by surface area France, ****, in m* Source: ****

The total surface area farmed for heliculture increased in **** compared to ****, and should continue to do so in ****, with an increase of up to +**.*% compared to ****. In ****, production is set to soar by **.*% to *** tonnes (***).

  Surface area **** Surface area **** Area forecast **** Sum *** *** m² *** *** m² *** *** m² % change   *,*% **,*% Average * *** m² * *** m² * *** m² % change   -*,*% **,*% Mini ** m² ** m² ** m² Maximum ** *** m² ** *** m² ** *** m² Tons (***) *** T *** T *** T Source : ASPERSA The table below highlights the fact that a region's share of the workforce does not determine its share of the total area farmed by heliconists. We can see, for example, that the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region accounts for **.*% of heliconists, placing it far ahead of other regions in this segment, even ...

4.1 Offer typology

The table below describes the different types of snails.

Source: ****

4.2 Typical recipes and prices

Snails are rarely eaten on their own, uncooked. There are a multitude of recipes for cooking them. But the most popular is snails in parsley butter. Here's some information on the range of snails on offer when you search for the term "escargot" on various sites.

Recipes marketed by Escargot à gogo:

Source: ****

4.3 A year 2022 synonymous with problems for the industry

According to a company survey, snail farmers are facing an increase in snail prices of up to +**%, depending on the species, by ****.this is in addition to general price increases, particularly for metal packaging (***). Over the last two years, manufacturers estimate that the price of this essential snail ingredient has more than doubled, while the price of canned snails has risen by up to **%, according to some snail makers. The situation is tense, and snail lovers may even find it difficult to find these typical products of French gastronomy in their usual outlets.

According to anAdepale survey of companies in the sector, snail producers are facing price increases of up to **% compared to **** (***). According to producers' estimates, the price of this basic snail ingredient has more than doubled over the past two years, while the price of canned snails has risen by up to **%. The situation is tense, and demand for snails may not be met.

In order to continue to meet consumer expectations and ensure the sustainability of their business, snail breeders are asking their distribution partners to take steps to enhance the value of their products. Depending on the specific situation of each grower, their remuneration should be reviewed, ...

5.1 Regulations

For the following snail species:

Helix pomatia (***). Helix aspersa (***).

Zonites algirus (***), the collection of live specimens and their sale, whether free of charge or for a fee, may be subject to authorization or prohibited in each département by a permanent or temporary prefectoral decree, which sets, for each named species, the extent of the territory concerned.the territory concerned, the period of application of the regulation or prohibition, the conditions of collection and sale, and the status of the beneficiaries of the authorizations.

However, these prefectoral decrees may not derogate from the following provisions applicable throughout the territory, which concern :

Prohibition on the collection of live Helix pomatia specimens and their sale, whether free of charge or for a fee:

At any time when the shell is less than * cm in diameter During the period from April * to June ** inclusive, when the shell has a diameter of * cm or more. Prohibition on the collection of live specimens of Helix aspersa with unlined shells, and on their sale, whether free of charge or for a fee, at any time. Prohibition on the collection of live specimens of Zonites algirus and their transfer for free or for a consideration at any time, ...

5.2 The "label rouge" snail label

Selected snails

Snails prepared by Label Rouge come from selected wild snail species belonging to Helix pomatia (***). Label Rouge snails are identified and tracked from the collection area. This guarantees the traceability of the raw material, i.e. the meat destined for Label Rouge, right from the harvest.

Quality ingredients and limited additives for Bourguignonne snails

After being carefully trimmed, the meat is cooked in a broth of water, white wine, vinegar, vegetables, salt, spices or herbs. The stuffing is prepared with quality ingredients: extra-fine butter (***), garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, spices and herbs. Label Rouge prepares snails with a good balance between meat and stuffing.

A controlled production process

Label Rouge snails are produced in such a way as to guarantee control of the entire production process, safety and traceability.

Compliance with the criteria defined in the specifications is guaranteed by regular checks carried out on each producer by accredited certification bodies recognized by the public authorities. In addition, the superior quality of the product is verified by sensory analyses carried out in accredited sensory laboratories approved by the public authorities.

Label Rouge ready-to-eat snails are sold in fresh or frozen portions in trays, boxes or bags, and are available in ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Bourgogne Escargots
• Croque Bourgogne
• Française de Gastronomie
• ESCAL
• GrandJean Escargots
• Romanzini
• Sabarot-Wassner