Food industry: how training and support facilitate the professional integration of foreign workers

At the “Les entreprises s’engagent” event organized by the Ardèche Chamber of Commerce and Industry on April 28 in Privas (Ardèche), the company Altho Brets—specializing in the production and marketing of potato chips—shared a practical approach to expanding its recruitment and ensuring the successful integration of foreign nationals with legal status. This experience shows that with proper preparation—particularly in language skills and hygiene and safety rules—the approach benefits both the company and its employees.

Testimony from Mr. Jacob, Human resources manager at the Pouzin site.

Since opening its Pouzin site in 2014, Altho Brets has experienced strong growth, increasing from 45 to 200 employees. “We therefore had a significant recruitment challenge,” summarizes Mr. Jacob. To address this need, the company relied on an established partnership with the training organization Afpa, which is also a partner of the French Office for Immigration and Integration (Ofii).

Within this framework, Afpa предложed that the company integrate the “Pacte Région” program, which includes training in French as a foreign language (FLE). The objective was to prepare candidates ahead of their arrival on the job. “The idea was to recruit someone following several months of FLE training,” explains the HR manager.

In the food industry, understanding instructions is essential: it is a matter of safety, quality, and compliance. “The key issue is mastering French for safety rules, but also—and above all—for hygiene rules,” emphasizes Mr. Jacob. The FLE program was therefore designed as a lever for integration, just like technical training.

At the same time, the company committed to offering stable employment conditions: “our commitment was to offer at least a 6-month contract, or even longer, with the aim of offering permanent contracts.” This provides visibility for recruited employees and secures the investment made in training.

To facilitate integration, Afpa provided comprehensive support: help with housing, recruitment follow-up with a social worker, and the implementation of a two-week internship period before hiring. This stage made it possible to ensure a gradual start and identify any potential difficulties in advance.

The company also favored “on-the-job” learning, with direct support in the workplace. Finally, two Afpa trainers visited the factory to ensure proper understanding of rules, particularly those related to hygiene and safety.

As a result, a first employee joined the company on April 1—“with whom everything is going well”—and two others arrived in early May. For Altho Brets, this approach demonstrates that recruitment can be secured when built with partners and when integration is planned from the outset—including language training, workplace immersion, and social support. Mr. Jacob adds that public partnerships contributed to the success of this initiative, particularly with the involvement of France Travail and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, which helped implement and fund the training program through the Pacte Région.