Crooked carrots saved
April 1, 2010 12:01 PM
Originally published by Sir Graham Watson MEP
Originally published by Sir Graham Watson MEP
Euro-MPs have voted to ensure that crooked carrots and curvy cucumbers can continue to be sold legally in shops.
Despite today's date, this story - posted after 12 noon - is genuine
They have voted down a bid by Spanish MEPs to restore old EU rules that restricted the sale of imperfect-looking fruit and vegetables.
The controversial proposal to reinstate the "community marketing rules" initially gained the support of the European Parliament's agriculture committee in February, but in March it was heavily defeated by a vote of all MEPs in Brussels.
Liberal Democrat MEPs have welcomed the continued rejection of a scheme which had in the past led to perfectly healthy fruit and vegetables being thrown away.
Graham Watson MEP said: "We want EU rules to ensure that food on sale is safe to eat, but shoppers can make up their own minds about whether to buy bendy bananas or crooked carrots."
"Why some countries feel consumers are concerned about how wonky or knobbly fruit and vegetables appears is absurd. At a time of global food shortages and rising prices we need to remove ridiculous regulations."
"Tragically supermarkets add to the waste by demanding that farmers supply them with only good looking products."
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