EU lifts ban on many unusually-shaped vegetables

Curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots return to supermarket shelves tomorrow thanks to the abolition of EU rules on the size and shape of 36 types of fruit and veg.

For 20 years, EU-wide marketing standards have ensured that only the finest-looking produce reaches the shops.

However, to reduce red tape and bureaucracy – and make cheaper fruit and veg available as household bills rise – European regulators are lifting restrictions.

Until now the standards have discriminated against irregular-looking produce, from apricots to watermelons.

From tomorrow the rules disappear altogether for 26 items on the list, including artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, onions, peas, carrots, plums, and ribbed celery.

Ten other products which account for 75% of EU fruit and veg trade, including apples, strawberries and tomatoes, can also be sold regardless of size and shape, as long as they are labelled as “intended for processing”, or equivalent wording.

The Commission said today the move was a major element in its continuing efforts to streamline and simplify EU rules.

“This is a concrete example of our drive to cut unnecessary red tape,” said EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

“We don’t need to regulate this sort of thing at EU level. It is far better to leave it to market operators.”

“The changes also mean that consumers will be able to choose from the widest range of products possible. It makes no sense to throw perfectly good products away, just because they are the ’wrong’ size and shape.”

The rules banishing irregular produce were originally asked for by the fruit and veg industry, to ensure consistent quality. The Commission responded by basing EU rules on international standards applied for decades by a United Nations committee.

However, as one Commission official put it last year during negotiations on reform: “Times have changed: now household budgets are tighter and there is the problem of wasting food too, so it makes more sense than ever to allow people to buy wonky fruit and veg if they wish.”

Retailers have estimated the mis-shapen produce could be sold as much as 40% cheaper than the current “class one” goods.

The new rules will not put paid to eurosceptic quips about bendy bananas however - because banana standards are governed by a different set of EU rules and are not covered by the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables. Besides, said one EU official, bananas are supposed to be bendy, unlike cucumbers.

The full list of mis-shapen fruit and veg on sale from tomorrow: 26 items (restrictions on shape and size repealed without qualification) - apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocados, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, 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.

Ten items (restrictions lifted subject to labelling to distinguish them from “class 1” produce) – apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches/nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.