After more than twenty years of living on the Côte d’Azur, I thought I had uncovered most of Southern France’s little secrets. The most beautiful beaches, the best restaurants, hidden hilltop villages, and even which local market is worth visiting on each day of the week.

Then, last month, I discovered something embarrassingly simple.

Something I really should have known years ago.

A Healthier Lifestyle on the French Riviera

My wife Jo and I have recently become much more conscious about healthy eating. Not in an obsessive way, but simply because we’d like to enjoy this wonderful lifestyle for as long as possible.

Cycling along the Mediterranean, swimming in crystal-clear water, wandering through medieval villages and, of course, sharing great food with family and friends—it’s what living on the French Riviera is all about.

One of our latest discoveries is an app called Scanly. You simply scan the barcode of products in the supermarket or organic food store, and within seconds it tells you about the ingredients, additives, pesticides, microplastics, preservatives and other things you sometimes wish you hadn’t known were hiding inside your food.

Since downloading the app, we’ve turned into supermarket detectives.

And believe me, we’re constantly surprised.

Products that look incredibly healthy often score terribly, while others we’ve ignored for years turn out to be excellent choices. Even beautifully packaged products proudly displaying labels like “Organic Product of the Year 2026” don’t always survive the Scanly test.

The Search for Better Bread

Like many people, we love fresh raw milk, real butter, and a warm French baguette with a pinch of sea salt.

Once you’ve found great butter, naturally you start looking for the best bread.

For us, that meant sourdough.

Nutritionists often praise sourdough because its long, natural fermentation makes it easier to digest and more gut-friendly. The downside? Good sourdough bread is often sold out by the afternoon. When that happens, you simply end up buying a regular baguette from the local bakery.

Or so we thought.

The Secret Every French Person Already Knows

Last month someone told us something that apparently every French person has known for decades.

The famous Baguette Tradition you see in almost every French bakery isn’t just a more expensive baguette.

It’s a completely different product.

French law strictly regulates the Baguette Tradition Française. It may contain only four basic ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Water
• Salt
• Baker’s yeast (or natural leaven)

No preservatives.

No artificial improvers.

No unnecessary additives.

Many artisan bakers even use long fermentation methods that closely resemble traditional sourdough—and some produce their Tradition entirely with natural sourdough cultures.

In other words, the bread we’d been searching for had been sitting right in front of us all along.

Still Learning After Twenty Years

There we were.

More than twenty years living in France.

And only now discovering that the loaf we’d been walking past every single morning was actually one of the healthiest and most authentic choices available.

Perhaps that’s exactly what makes living on the Côte d’Azur so enjoyable.

No matter how long you’ve lived here, there’s always something new to discover.

Sometimes it’s a hidden beach.

Sometimes it’s a forgotten mountain village.

And sometimes…

…it’s simply the right baguette.

The next time you visit your local French bakery, don’t automatically ask for “une baguette.”

Instead, ask for:

“Une baguette Tradition, s’il vous plaît.”

You may be surprised how much difference one simple word can make.

Just like we were—even after twenty years on the French Riviera.

Where to Buy Organic Food on the French Riviera (Alpes-Maritimes – 06)

If you’re moving to or already living on the Côte d’Azur, you’ll be pleased to know that the Alpes-Maritimes offers an excellent selection of organic supermarkets and specialist food stores. Some of our favorites include:

• Biocoop Cagnes-sur-Mer – One of the region’s best-stocked organic supermarkets.
• Biocoop Pin Parasol (Antibes) – Excellent fresh produce, cheeses and bakery.
• Biocoop Nice Grimaldi – Conveniently located in central Nice.
• Naturalia Nice Garibaldi – Premium organic groceries and household products.
• Naturalia Cannes Forville – Perfect if you’re shopping near the famous market.
• La Vie Claire Nice – One of France’s oldest organic food chains.
• Satoriz Vallauris – Large selection of organic products and eco-friendly household items.
• marcel&fils BIO Cagnes-sur-Mer – Popular for fresh fruit, vegetables and local specialties.
• Le Marché Bio – La Colle-sur-Loup – Excellent regional organic produce.
• Bio & Co Vallauris – A favorite among locals looking for quality organic products.

Many of these stores also sell locally produced olive oil, organic wines, raw milk products, artisan cheeses, natural cosmetics and environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Je kunt dit hoofdstuk direct onder de lijst van winkels in de Alpes-Maritimes plaatsen.

Organic Food Stores in the Var (83)

The Var department offers an equally impressive selection of organic supermarkets and specialist food stores. Whether you’re staying near Saint-Tropez, Sainte-Maxime, Fréjus, Toulon, or inland Provence, you’ll never be far from fresh organic produce, artisan cheeses, natural cosmetics, and eco-friendly household products.

Some of our recommended stores include:

• Saveurs Bio du Var – Sainte-Maxime – One of the largest organic supermarkets in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, offering fresh produce, local wines, organic groceries and natural health products.
• Epicerie Naturelle (Saint-Tropez) – A long-established organic food shop with carefully selected regional products.
• Bio Market (Grimaud) – Conveniently located near Port Grimaud for visitors exploring the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.
• Naturalia Draguignan – A popular destination for organic groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables, cosmetics and dietary products.
• Les Comptoirs de la Bio (Trans-en-Provence) – Large organic supermarket with an extensive range of local and international organic products.
• Biocoop La Londe (La Londe-les-Maures) – Excellent for seasonal fruit, vegetables, fresh bread and locally produced foods.
• Biocoop Pruneau (Toulon) – One of the region’s best-known Biocoop stores with an excellent cheese counter and fresh organic produce.
• La Vie Claire (Ollioules) – A trusted French organic retailer offering food, supplements and natural cosmetics.
• La Vie Claire (Sanary-sur-Mer) – Ideal when exploring the beautiful west coast of the Var.
• Biocoop Vallée du Gapeau (Solliès-Pont) – Well-stocked supermarket focusing on regional producers and sustainable products.
• Biocoop Brignoles – Convenient stop when traveling through central Provence.
• Biocoop du Bessillon (Cotignac) – Perfect if you’re visiting one of Provence’s most charming villages.
• Biocoop Cobionat (Salernes) – A favourite among locals looking for high-quality organic food in the Haut-Var.

Throughout both the Alpes-Maritimes (06) and the Var (83), you’ll also find weekly farmers’ markets (marchés provençaux), where many local growers sell certified organic fruit, vegetables, olive oil, honey, herbs and artisan cheeses directly to consumers. Shopping locally not only supports regional producers but also gives you access to some of the freshest Mediterranean ingredients available. French organic retail chains such as Biocoop, Naturalia, La Vie Claire and Les Comptoirs de la Bio are widely regarded as the benchmark for high-quality organic shopping throughout Southern France. (BIOCOOP PRUNEAU)

The baguette story was published earlier on https://exclusief.be