'Ugly' fruit and veg rules scrapped by EU |
| Thursday, 13 November 2008 | |
 Rules that prevent the sale of oddly-sized fruit and vegetables in UK shops have been scrapped by the European Commission. Marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables will now be removed, so carrots, cherries, garlic, onions and melons, among others, will not need to be tested before being placed on shop shelves. Rules for another ten forms of fruit and vegetables will remain unchanged, but these items, such as apples and tomatoes, will have to include stickers telling the public they were intended for processing. The regulations have been in place across Europe for the last 20 years. A European Union (EU) commission statement read: "Rules governing the size and shape of fruit and vegetables will be consigned to history." Commission spokesman Michael Mann added: "This is a happy day indeed for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot, and other amusingly shaped fruits and vegetables." Sainsbury's was among the supermarkets to have voiced its derision at the rules, calling for their removal last month. EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said: "It's a concrete example of our drive to cut unnecessary red tape. We simply don't need to regulate this sort of thing at EU level. It is far better to leave it to market operators." Stores will be able to sell misshapen fruit from next July. A recent survey undertaken by TNS last month found that only 12% of Britons are eating five portions of fruit and veg per day. Related Articles
Bookmark
Email This
Comments (0)
 Write comment
|
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
© Metropolis International Group Ltd 2009