01.07.2009

Misshapen fruit and vegetables are back on sale in EU supermarkets after specific marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetable were repealed.

The European Commission's initiative to get rid of these standards is a major element in its ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify EU rules and cut red tape.

The 26 products that are affected by the new ruling are: apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocadoes, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts in shell, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell, water melons, and witloof/chicory.

Specific marketing standards will remain for 10 products, which account for 75 per cent of the value of EU trade: apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.

However, Member States may also exempt these from the standards if they are sold in the shops with an appropriate label. In practical terms, this means that an apple which does not meet the standard may still be sold in the shop, as long as it is labelled "product intended for processing" or equivalent wording.

In other words, the new rules will allow national authorities to permit the sale of all fruit and vegetables, regardless of their size and shape.

For more information on the new rulings, click on the link below to visit the Commission's website for agriculture:


http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/index_en.htm
Press release: 'wonky' fruit and veg back on sale in the EU