Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite
INAO is the French public administrative establishment, founded 1935 and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, that exclusively recognizes and protects France's official quality and origin signs (SIQO): AOP/AOC, IGP, STG, Label Rouge, and Agriculture biologique, supervising over 1,200 products and tens of thousands of operators nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersMontreuil, France
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite does
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) is a French public administrative establishment founded in 1935 and placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture. The institute holds exclusive authority to recognize, revise, and protect France's official quality and origin identification signs (Signes officiels d'identification de la qualité et de l'origine, SIQO), covering five certification systems: Appellation d'origine protégée/contrôlée (AOP/AOC), Indication géographique protégée (IGP), Spécialité traditionnelle garantie (STG), Label Rouge, and Agriculture biologique. As of 2023 INAO supervises 1,232 products, including 366 wines under AOP/AOC, 107 agroalimentaires AOP, 77 wines IGP, 156 agroalimentaires IGP, 35 spirit drinks under IG, 438 Label Rouge products, and 6 STG, with more than 87,439 operators engaged in the organic sector as of 2020. The institute operates from its headquarters in Montreuil and a network of 20 sites plus 2 antennes organized into 8 territorial delegations across metropolitan and overseas France.
INAO's mission encompasses recognition and revision of product specifications, protection of signs and denominations against misuse, delimitation of production areas and protection of terroirs, control oversight of accredited control bodies, economic monitoring of SIQO sectors, training, public information, and international cooperation on geographical indications. Recent activity includes the recognition of Sapin de Noël du Morvan as IGP in March 2026, recognition of Mothais sur feuille as AOP and three South-West goose products as IGP in June 2026, and signing a bilateral memorandum with Italy on geographical indication cooperation in June 2026.
The institute does not operate a commercial revenue model; it is publicly funded through budget allocations from the French State via the Ministry of Agriculture. Its stakeholders include certified operators (producers, processors, distributors, importers), Organismes de Défense et de Gestion (ODGs), accredited control bodies, territorial collectivities, journalists, students and researchers, and individual consumers. INAO's technology footprint consists of an institutional website (inao.gouv.fr) hosting a public product search engine, with hosting by OVH and design/development support from DropTeam, and a GDPR-compliant data protection framework with a designated DPO. The organization does not expose APIs, SDKs, or MCP integrations and discloses no proprietary technology platform beyond the regulatory certification system itself.
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite
- Legal name
- Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité
- Website
- https://inao.gouv.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- INAO is the French public administrative establishment, founded 1935 and supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, that exclusively recognizes and protects France's official quality and origin signs (SIQO): AOP/AOC, IGP, STG, Label Rouge, and Agriculture biologique, supervising over 1,200 products and tens of thousands of operators nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Quality and Origin Certification
- NAICS
- Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Geographic Indication & Origin/Authenticity Certification (PDO/PGI, Country-of-Origin) (AFALAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Accreditation & Oversight Bodies for Food Safety Certification (ABs/Scheme Owners) (AFALACAB), Pre-Assessment, Gap Assessment & Certification Readiness Services (AFALACAE)
Keywords
Where Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montreuil
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices20 records
Markets served
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite product offering
Product offeringCore offering
INAO manages and protects France's official quality and origin identification signs (SIQO) for agricultural, agri-food, and forestry products through five certification systems: AOP/AOC, IGP, STG, Label Rouge, and Agriculture Biologique. It supervises more than 1,200 certified products and 89,000+ organic operators, handles specification recognition and revision, delimits production areas, and represents France in international geographical indication cooperation. The institute operates as a public service via its website product search engine and a national network of 20 territorial sites.
Product overview
INAO manages the official French quality and origin identification system (SIQO) comprising multiple certification systems: AOP/AOC for protected designations of origin, IGP for protected geographical indications, STG for traditional specialities guaranteed, Label Rouge for superior quality products, and Agriculture Biologique for organic products. The institute oversees 1,232 products total, including 366 wines, 18 spirit drinks, 5 ciders under AOC/AOP, 107 agroalimentaires AOP, 77 wines IGP, 156 agroalimentaires IGP, 35 spirit drinks IG, 6 STG, and 438 Label Rouge products, plus over 87,000 organic operators. The portfolio covers diverse categories: wines, spirits, ciders, meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables, cereals, oils, honeys, and more.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AOP/AOC - Appellation d'origine protégée/contrôlée Protected Designation of Origin certification for products whose quality or characteristics are essentially due to a particular geographical environment with its inherent natural and human factors. The AOP/AOC system covers 366 wines, 18 spirit drinks, 5 ciders/perries, 107 agri-food products, and 2 forestry products as of 2023. It is the cornerstone of France's quality-origin framework and the most demanding SIQO level.
- IGP - Indication géographique protégée Protected Geographical Indication certification for products closely linked to a geographical area where at least one stage of production, processing, or preparation takes place. The IGP system covers 77 wines, 156 agri-food products, 2 ciders, and 35 spirit drinks as of 2023.
- STG - Spécialité traditionnelle garantie
- Label Rouge High-quality national label certifying superior taste and production characteristics compared to similar standard products. Covers 438 products as of 2023 and represents the largest single SIQO category by product count.
- Agriculture biologique (Bio) Organic farming certification meeting EU organic production standards, delegated to INAO as part of its broadened mandate. Engages more than 87,439 operators (2020) including producers, processors, distributors, and importers.
- Mothais sur feuille AOP New AOP recognition for a French soft cheese made from whole, raw goat's milk, officially recognized as Protected Designation of Origin in 2026.
- Oie du Sud-Ouest IGP products Set of three newly recognized IGP products for goose meat, confit, and foie gras from the South-West region of France, granted Protected Geographical Indication status in 2026.
- Sapin de Noël du Morvan IGP IGP recognition for Morvan Christmas Fir, an officially recognized Protected Geographical Indication granted in 2026, expanding SIQO coverage to a non-food forestry product.
Companies that use Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Italy (Government of)coreMemorandum of understanding signed on June 25, 2026, at the Italy-France Intergovernmental Summit in Antibes, strengthening cooperation between France and Italy for the protection and promotion of geographical indications (IG). INAO is associated with this cooperation framework.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite social profiles
Digital presenceInstitut national de l'origine et de la qualite compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite
What does Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite do?
INAO manages and protects France's official quality and origin identification signs (SIQO) for agricultural, agri-food, and forestry products through five certification systems: AOP/AOC, IGP, STG, Label Rouge, and Agriculture Biologique. It supervises more than 1,200 certified products and 89,000+ organic operators, handles specification recognition and revision, delimits production areas, and represents France in international geographical indication cooperation. The institute operates as a public service via its website product search engine and a national network of 20 territorial sites.
Is Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite a public or private company?
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite founded?
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite was founded in 1935. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite based?
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite is headquartered in Montreuil, France, in the Europe region.
Does Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite have an API?
No public API is recorded for Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite.
What industry is Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite in?
Institut national de l'origine et de la qualite's product category is Agricultural Quality and Origin Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAMAJ, Geographic Indication & Origin/Authenticity Certification (PDO/PGI, Country-of-Origin), with a secondary code of AFALACAB, Accreditation & Oversight Bodies for Food Safety Certification (ABs/Scheme Owners). Its NAICS code is 92614.