EU marketing standards for fruits and vegetables
Following are the EU marketing standards for selected
fruits and
vegetables. These are mandatory standards and represent the minimum marketing requisites applied in all 27 EU markets. Please contact us for additional information on EU marketing standards for other agricultural products.
Introduction
The EU marketing standards are legally binding requirements which aim to ensure the quality of products on the market and that they will be delivered fresh to the consumers through a set of specific standards.
Exporters from developing countries willing to market their products on the EU market should be aware of the existing marketing standards. Where EU standards do not exist, UNECE or Codex standards are to be consulted for internationally accepted product standards. The legislation aims to ensure that products will be delivered fresh to the consumers through a set of specific standards.
This legislation identifies the marketing standards for fruits and vegetables and sets criteria regarding:
- Product definition: clarifies that standards apply to fresh products and exclude products of the same kind intended for industrial use.
- Minimum requirements: mainly refer to the physical characteristics of the product such as: intact, clean, fresh in appearance, free of smell etc.
- Development and condition: aims to ensure that the product is in a condition to withstand transport and handling in order to be delivered in a satisfactory condition
- Maturity: sets the percentage of the product minimum dry content
- Classification: sets the product's characteristics in terms of appearance, quality, post harvest life, presentation and other more specific features, and classifies products into 'Extra' Class, Class I and Class II.
- Sizing: ranges products by weight according to a code size
- Presentation: determines product's packaging requirements so as to ensure its protection, cleanliness and quality.
- Marking: Every quality standard requires specific information to be displayed on the products packaging including: the name of the supplier/exporter, product variety, country/region of origin, classification, net weight, sizing and official control mark.
- Contaminants: sets the limits for some heavy metals which are to be determined by analysis methods listed in Directive 2001/22/EC.
EU marketing standards for quality and labeling of fruit and vegetables are laid down in Regulation (EC) 2200/96. The following table lists fruit and vegetables which are subject to specific EU quality standards
| Fresh Fruits |
Almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, cherries, citrus fruit, grapes, hazelnuts, kiwis, melons, nectarines, oranges, peaches and nectarines, pears, plums, strawberries, walnuts, watermelons |
| Fresh vegetables |
Artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, curly and escarole chicory, leeks, mushrooms (cultivated), onions, peas, spinach, sweet peppers, tomatoes, witloof chicory |
Under Regulation EC 1148/2001 fresh fruit and vegetables imported from countries outside the EU which are covered by the EC marketing standards are required to have a recognized Certificate of Conformity in order to be placed on the EU market. On the other hand, products intended for processing are required to have a Certificate of Industrial Use but are not subject to conformity.