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The INAO and the Concours Général Agricole Renew Their Partnership

On July 15, 2025, the partnership agreement between the Concours Général Agricole (CGA) and the INAO was renewed for the 2025–2028 period, in the presence of Carole Ly, director of the INAO, and Olivier Alleman, general commissioner of the CGA. This renewal reaffirms their commitment to promoting products of excellence that represent France’s gastronomic heritage.

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Mots-clés

Partnership Concours général agricole

Signature convention de partenariat INAO - CGA pour la période 2025-2028

For over 150 years, the CGA has been recognizing and promoting the best French products at the International Agricultural Show. More than 70% of the products entered in the competition bear one of the official quality and origin identification marks (SIQO).

The INAO and the CGA share a common mission to support the economic development of the sectors and public policy aimed at promoting the quality of agricultural and agri-food products. The new partnership agreement thus formalizes a proven synergy between the expertise of these institutions, which have been partners for nearly 15 years.

The INAO trains competition judges in product knowledge and sensory analysis

This partnership is reflected, in particular, in the INAO’s established expertise in training competition judges in product knowledge and sensory analysis.

Since this collaboration began in 2012, 247 training sessions have been organized, and 3,667 people have been trained. The number of training sessions per year has been on the rise since 2021, and the 2024–2025 campaign saw a record number of participants.

Wines account for 70% of the training topics, but sensory awareness training also covers spirits, ciders, and, of course, agri-food products.

As part of this effort, a brand-new training course dedicated to Auvergne cheeses will be offered as part of the training for judges of the 2026 Concours Général Agricole. This is an opportunity to highlight the region’s rich cheese heritage.

The result of teamwork and the involvement of expert trainers, the training programs are structured around tasting exercises as well as theoretical and practical components. This has led to a steadily increasing level of satisfaction among the trained judges over the past three years.