Cured meats: The Concours International de Lyon opens its doors to a new category

After tasting 10,400 samples of wines, beers, spirits, cheeses and dairy products from 49 countries last year, the Concours de Lyon is back again as the global benchmark event.
It made perfect sense for the competition to open up to cured meats too.

This first edition will take place on Friday, November 29th, 2024, at the Cité Internationale de Lyon.
There are close to 315 categories of cured ham at the Concours International de Lyon, highlighting the diversity and richness of this culinary know-how. From hams and sausages to rillettes and pâtés, including many international specialties, all will be judged by a jury of passionate experts. The best in each category will be awarded a Gold or Silver Medal. At the end of the competition, the best product from each country will receive a special prize.

A careful selection to find the best cured ham in the world.
The competition is held according to a rigorous protocol to guarantee optimal storage conditions for the cured ham. The ranking, established from multiple criteria (meat, drying time, type of cooking), is carried out by expert judges during a blind tasting. The precise evaluation grid out of 100 points will help distinguish the best products
This diversity of categories makes it possible to offer consumers a very wide range of products tasted and awarded medals at the Concours International de Lyon, to guide them in their choice of cured meats.

A prestigious Honorary President for this first edition.
Each year, a well-known cured meats specialist is chosen as the honorary president of the competition. He or she makes the competition even more widely known by attracting the attention of the press and professionals in the field. For the 2025 edition of the Competition, the presidency has been entrusted to Bernard-Marie François.

Bernard-Marie François found his vocation for cured meats at the age of 13. After a number of successful experiences, he was awarded the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1976. He then embarked on a thoroughly rewarding international career. He now has a passion for teaching and passes on his skills to the younger generation to help raise the profile of the charcutier-traiteur profession by constantly reinventing himself.

Under control tasting.
The quality manager will make sureall samples are tasted in compliance with very strict Concours International de Lyon regulations and ISO9001 certification.