The European Commission has published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) a delegated regulation and an implementing regulation by which it completes the marketing standards for the horticultural sector and also includes the adaptation of regulations for the "From the farm to the table" strategy.
It has also taken advantage of this regulation to harmonize and simplify the provisions relating to marketing standards, conformity controls, and notifications in sectors such as the purchase and sale of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Among other aspects, it requires the indication of the country of origin for processed fruits, vegetables, and ripe bananas; it expands the marketing standards to more banana varieties; and includes other actions to reduce food waste from bananas. It also takes into account that climatic factors hinder banana production in Madeira, the Azores, the Algarve, the Canary Islands, Crete, Laconia, and Cyprus.
Some bananas produced in those geographical areas do not reach the minimum length established in the international standard but, according to this standard, the commercialization of these bananas must now be allowed.
The text also includes, for example, allowing traditional cultivation and local consumption of horticultural products even if they have characteristics that do not comply with the marketing standards applicable at the Union level.
The regulation is broader and details aspects such as that the indication of the country of origin must be more visible than the indication of the country of the packer in order to avoid misleading consumers in relation to the origin of the products.
It also establishes under what conditions the fruit and vegetable imports from third countries, which must comply with marketing standards or with equivalent standards, have an equivalent level of conformity with the Union marketing standards.
On the other hand, the implementing regulation published on Saturday details the controls in accordance with the marketing standards of the previous regulation and the requirements applicable to notifications of non-conformity.
Source: efeagro.com