Wonky fruit and vegetables may soon grace our shelves next to their better looking relatives, after the European Commission scrapped regulations on the appearance of produce.
Marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetable have been abolished, to reduce the estimated 20 per cent of wasted farm produce.
The move is expected to drive down prices for customers, although the imperfect vegetables are likely to be sold separately and labelled “product intended for processing”.
Assistant manager at Garsons farm shop, Trevor Coots, welcomed the plans.
He said: “There’s absolutely no difference with taste, it’s just customer perception. If you have two displays of carrots, people will go for the better looking one every time.
“Even if you dropped the price, I think people would prefer the one that looks nice. This has got to be a good thing but it needs to be relaxed slowly because at the moment only about a quarter makes it to the shelves while the rest is sent for processing.”
The EU’s agriculture commissioner called it “a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot”, but there are 10 types of produce that the relaxed rules will bypass.
The old rules will remain for apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuce, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.
The EU criteria said class one cucumbers should not have a curve of more than 10mm per 10cm, a string of onions must contain at least 16 onions and cauliflower could not be less than 11cm in diameter.
John Brine, who has a plot at Elmgrove allotments in Walton, said: “It’s utterly ridiculous that the food industry is so cosmetic.
“There’s nothing wrong with the produce that is thrown away or not used, it’s just not tarted up.
“I think people will see it’s the same but they will still look for convenience such as pre-cut runner beans and scrubbed potatoes.”
The new regulations are expected to be introduced in July 2009.
The 26 items included in the EU rule scrap are: apricots, artichokes, avocados, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, chicory, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, halzelnuts in shell, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell and watermelons.
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