A collapse in sales during the lockdown has left some of France’s treasured AOP mark cheeses threatened with extinction if smaller, artisan producers cannot continue to do business.
With the closure of restaurants, markets and workplace canteens, the sales of AOP cheeses have fallen by 60 percent in the last two months, leaving many cheesemakers struggling to survive.
No-one quite knows how many varieties of cheese there are in France but it is more than 1,000 and some of the most loved – including roquefort, Brie de Meaux and saint-nectaire – are those with the AOP or IGP mark, signifying a protected geographical location or origin.
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