Misshapen fruit back in shops
WONKY cucumbers and knobbly carrots are set to return to North Lincolnshire shelves following the abolition of EU rules.
Local greengrocers have given a warm welcome to the decision to scrap the ban on misshapen produce.
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For 20 years, EU-wide marketing standards have ensured that products which do not look 'perfect' are not able to hit shop shelves, but to reduce red tape and make cheaper fruit and veg available during the credit crunch, the restrictions have today been lifted for 26 items.
Shoppers in North Lincolnshire, including Brigg, Barton, the Isle of Axholme, will now be able to purchase the misshapen variety of fruit and veg.
Susan Pickett, 55, market stall trader at H & J Laws based in Scunthorpe market, said: "It's definitely something I'm going to welcome as the regulations resulted in a waste of food and people only cut up the fruit and veg for use anyway."
She added: "Things are so expensive now that any way of cutting the costs for shoppers is needed."
Trina Harvey, 49, manageress of Rooke's quality fruiters in the Scunthorpe market, agreed but said the stall had always aimed to minimise waste anyway.
"As long as the food is fresh, that's all the shopper wants, so if it's something we can sell, we will do regardless of the size or shape to reduce waste, although we might sell it a bit cheaper, " she said.
"We've never had anyone complain about the size or shape of anything in the last ten years I've been doing so the whole rule was a bit silly in the first place."
The rules banishing irregular produce were originally asked for by the fruit and veg industry, to ensure consistent quality.
For the full story, buy today's Scunthorpe Telegraph.
10 Comments
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by Waynetta, Barton
Thursday, July 02 2009, 9:34PM
“Phred has no life whatsoever.”
by Phred, Northern Lands
Thursday, July 02 2009, 10:52AM
“PS
Can anyone tell me who really MISS HAPEN is?”
by Phred, Northern Lands
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 11:31PM
“Sally - Brumby
I don't really want to get into any deep debate about the enforcement of metric over imperial weights in shops.
However, there has to be a certain degree of standardisation of weight, length and capacity if we are to trade with Europe.
When metrication was introduced, I don't think it was the EU who threatened shop-kepers for using imperial weights, it was the Uk government......and latterly they relaxed the rules about fining.
In this country, we still have a bit of a mixture with, for example, MPH and speed limit signs.
However, I have no difficulty with metric measures - they make sense. For example, 1 cubic metre of water weighs 1 tonne and if you know the specific gravity of substances one can easily work out the weight for its capacity size.
Having a base of 10 is much easier than having an imperial system originally based on the length of one's thumb; the distance to finger tips from elbow and how much ground an average horse could plough in a day (acre)!
I recall going into a builders' yard in the '70's and asking for some 4"x 2" timbers only to be forcibly told that they had gone metric and that they only sold 50mm x 100mm timbers. Then the assistant asked me what length I wanted - 8 foot, or 12 foot!
Then there's the true story of the US and the Russians cooperating to build a combined space rocket - the US build the top half using imperial measures and the USSR built the bottom section employing metric measures.
Evolution in measurement happens - otherwise we would still be using groats, bushells and perches......but then we still use the Chain length (22 yards) for a cricket wicket.
Imperial measures have their origin in the practicalities of their day....most to do with farming and agriculture of the Middle Ages. It's a bit like finding out that the avarage distance between villages pre-Industurial Revolution days was 9 miles with a hamlet, on average every 4 and half miles - 9 miles was the distance that a herd of livestock could be driven in a day - the hamlet was the drovers' lunch break!”
by sally, Brumby stuff the EU
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 9:35PM
“Phred. Your probably right. And I agree with what you say.But what about Weights and measures. Is that a EU misconception. Is Fruit and Veg workers threat of imprisonment or fines for refusing to change over to Eu weights and measures a misconception.”
by Phred, Northern Lands
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 11:05AM
“TO the ST reporter:
You have grossly misled the reader in your first paragraph.
Para 2 - there has never been a 'BAN'.
The 3rd paragraph - slightly corrects the misconception by indicating 'EU-wide marketing standards' - but this does not mean it was EU legislation - it was a self-imposed standardistion by fuit/veg importers/exportes across the EU.
The so-called 'Red Tape' IS NOT from the EU - but from such outlets as supermarkets who would normally only stock CLASS A.
The penultimate paragraph is correct - imposed by the fruit and veg industry (not by eu law)”