Thousands of French restaurants serving up mass-produced "boeuf bourguignon" and potato "gratin" as if lovingly prepared from scratch by their own chefs may soon be exposed by law, reports Reuters.
In a country that takes pride in its culinary reputation, parliament voted for a law on Thursday that would force restaurants to identify meals prepared on their premises with a "homemade" label, showing that any other items are likely to have been brought in and simply warmed up.
Any restaurant misusing the label on their menus would be fined.
The draft law aims to expose eateries that buy ready-made meals in bulk and heat them up in the microwave. It also addresses concerns about food standards after a Europe-wide scandal over horsemeat found in ready meals such as beef lasagna.
The bill, that passed easily through the lower house, now goes to the Senate which is likely to debate it in September.
It has strong backing among upper-end restaurants and overwhelming support among the public, surveys show.
Read more of this report from Reuters.