Misshapen fruit and vegetables fear no more – you are no longer too imperfect to fulfill your destiny of being stacked on a supermarket shelf before being consumed by some ugly-food lover.
Yes it seems the European Commission have finally seen sense and thrown out their two decade old rules about banning bendy, knobbly and dented fruit and vegetables from being sold.
Now, there are 36 varieties of fruit and vegetables that have been given the green light to be sold whatever form they come in – just as nature intended. Garlic heads with missing cloves can proudly sit by a string of onions that has less than 16 bulbs.
It seems the already popular baby vegetables will become even more of a hit as a cauliflower can now be less than 11cm in diameter and small carrots can weigh less than 8g.
So what is the point in changing all these already bizarre rules? Well it seems the economic downturn has more than a little to do with it as prices for less than perfect fresh produce will be lower than their flawless cousins. In addition red tape will be lifted for growers and importers, making the industry a little easier. These products could be up to 40 per cent cheaper, making them a god send in these penny scrimping times. It should make getting your five a day a little easier too.
However, not all fruit and vegetables are getting away with hogging all the ugly – apples, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes and pears are included in the 10 products that will still be subject to a strict set of rules – misshapen varieties of these have to be sold for cooking only.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Food and Farming Minister, commented that there would be more choice for people if “they aren’t bothered by what shape their five-a-day comes in”, adding: “It also means that producers and suppliers won’t be stuck with as many leftovers, so there’ll be less food waste.”
In the UK the change in rules will mean growers will have a helping hand in selling their produce. Director of the Soil Association – the organic produce regulators, Patrick Holden was very happy with the move. His own carrots, produced in the hills of West Wales were turned down by Sainsbury’s for being “too wonky.”
He said, “This will be a fantastic step, especially for organic growers. We are about inner quality, not outer appearance — that is our hallmark. Fresh, local and seasonal is better than a bland but cosmetically perfect piece of fruit or veg.”
The National Farmers’ Union said in a statement, “Farmers and growers work extremely hard to produce quality food but nature does not always comply with a perfectly rounded sprout and poker-straight carrot.
“It is good to hear that people will be given the chance to buy odd-shaped fruit and veg and see they taste just as good. It will help eliminate waste, which has to be good news for consumers and British growers.”
