Baguette to Gain Protected Status

PARIS —  Imitators beware! France’s legendary baguette, as much a national symbol as the beret and champagne, is getting a label of origin of its own.

Under a ministerial decree to be issued within a few days, nothing but bread baked freshly according to a strict recipe will be sold as real baguettes, a spokeswoman for the baking industry said Tuesday.

“The new law will give the baguette a label of origin,” she said, adding that it is aimed at protecting small bakers who sell the genuine item from loaves paraded as baguettes but made from frozen dough containing additives. As mandated by a 1912 law, the baguette must be created of only flour, water, salt and yeast.