Bendy cucumbers make a comeback as EU shapes up

CURVY cucumbers and knobbly carrots will return to the supermarket shelves after more than two dozen laws banning imperfect-looking fruit and veg were scrapped yesterday.

EU rules dictating the shape and size of 36 varieties of produce, from apricots to watermelons – effectively banishing all but perfect specimens – were scrapped on European Commission advice in a vote of an EU fruit and veg management committee.

"This marks a new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the knobbly carrot. It's a concrete example of our drive to cut unnecessary red tape," said Marianne Fischer Boel, the EU agriculture commissioner.

"We simply don't need to regulate this sort of thing at EU level. It is far better to leave it to market operators – and in these days of high food prices and general economic difficulties, consumers should 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' shape."

Yesterday's vote repealed 26 of the rules, including those covering artichokes, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, cucumbers, onions, peas, carrots, plums and ribbed celery.

Specific market rules stay in place for the ten products which account for 75 per cent of EU fruit and veg trade – apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches/nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.

But national authorities could exempt even those ten from the rules on shape and size, as long as they were put on sale labelled as "product intended for processing" or something similar.

Bananas, a legendary target for eurosceptics over EU size and shape criteria, are not affected, as they come under a separate marketing regime.

The commission said the changes cannot be implemented until the start of July next year, for practical reasons.

But when the mis-shapen produce does reach the shelves, retailers estimate it could be sold as much as 40 per cent cheaper than the current "class one" goods.

A Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs spokesman welcomed the change as "a sensible first step on the way to further streamlining of the regulations".

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader and MEP, commented: "This is a rare moment of sense in an otherwise mad world."

And Scottish MEP Alyn Smith said it was "a victory for common sense" – especially as key EU governments, including those of Italy, Spain, France and Hungary had opposed scrapping rules which were brought in 20 years ago under pressure from the European fruit and veg sector to create a level playing field for food quality.

He added: "This decision may just perhaps nail once and for all the myth that the EU regulates everything in sight.

"The rules have actually helped EU trade in fruit and veg because they replaced 27 sets of standards with one set of rules, across a massive market." But Mr Smith warned: "I'm not convinced by retailers promising savings of 40 per cent because in my experience the EU rules are far more flexible than the rules the supermarkets enforce on their producers, but anything that declutters the EU legislative playing field has to be good news."

Conservative MEP Neil Parish said: "Credit should be given to the EU agriculture commissioner for pushing through these proposals.

"Consumers care about the taste and quality of food, not how it looks."

A commission spokesman said: "These rules were originally asked for by the fruit and veg industry, because when a wholesaler orders crates of cucumbers, he needs to have some idea of the quality of the produce.

"We then based our rules on international standards applied by a committee of the United Nations.

"However, times have changed, and we agreed during negotiations last year that we could get rid of red tape in this area."

Richard Ashworth, Conservative MEP for the South East, said: "Food is food, no matter what it looks like. To stop stores selling perfectly decent food during a food crisis is morally unjustifiable.

"Credit should be given to the EU agriculture commissioner for pushing through these proposals, and pointing out that this is a matter that should not be decided by the EU.

"Consumers care about the taste and quality of food, not how it looks."

Q&A

• So what's going on?

About 20 years ago the European fruit and veg sector asked for common EU marketing standards for the quality of produce. The 36 agreed standards included detailed criteria for shape and size of "class one" produce, largely so that when wholesalers ordered crates of goods, they knew what to expect. And so did shoppers.

• So why scrap the rules?

Because costs are rising, food is being wasted and in Europe some supermarkets are setting their own quality controls. The commission says this is an area where EU red tape can go.

• So what's changing?

The vote means shape and size standards will be abolished for 26 products – apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocados, 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 chicory.

• And the other ten?

EU marketing standards stay for apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, straw-berries, sweet peppers, grapes and tomatoes, which between them account for 75 per cent of the value of the entire EU fruit and veg trade. But member states can exempt them too.

Scottish scientific research has flavour of success

BREAD that controls diabetes, tomato extract that reduces heart disease and products from blackcurrants that slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease are all being developed by Scots scientists to help fight the war on obesity and poor health.

Leading scientists displayed their latest research to politicians at the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

They described research that is looking into using infra-red technology to find tender cuts of beef and ultrasound to test the fattiness of meat.

Bread high in oats has been developed by the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health. Oats help control glucose levels, and a study is being carried out to see if it can help diabetes sufferers. The Rowett Institute is also researching high meat diets, to find out whether they help people lose weight.

The Scottish Crop Research Institute has created a bread rich in barley, to see whether it can help reduce cholesterol. Researchers at SCRI are also trying to find compounds in blackcurrants that can reduce the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Waste products from blackcurrants are thought to possess properties that protect the brain.

The SCRI has also been investigating methods to increase vitamin C levels of blackcurrants. Already 95 per cent of the fruit in the soft drink Ribena comes from SCRI varieties.

Scots scientists have also invented a tomato extract that might help to maintain a healthy heart. It has so much promise that Unilever and the Coca-Cola Corporation are planning to use it in a new range of food products.

The Scottish Government provides £60 million a year towards food research.

Richard Lochhead, the environment secretary, praised the work of the scientists, saying: "Scottish science is making a significant input to our developing national food and drink policy, which aims to boost the industry and support healthier and more environmentally-sustainable choices."

He added: "This high-calibre research is helping our primary producers to maintain and enhance the quality of our food and drink, while creating new opportunities for processors."