New EU Marketing Standards for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

July 31, 2013 - PRLog -- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 594/2013 (2) of 21 June 2013 amends and corrects this Implementing Regulation in regards to marketing standards in the fruit and vegetables sector.

Regulation (EC) 1234/2007 (3) in conjunction with Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 provides the marketing standards for all unprocessed FFV. FFV not covered by a specific marketing standard have to comply with the general market standards laid down in part A of Annex I to the Regulation. The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 594/2013 updates the marketing standards including following areas:

- To ensure that products which are deemed to be fit for consumption by local communities but which do not conform to the Union marketing standards are not prevented from being marketed locally, those products can be exempted from the Union marketing standards by a Commission Decision taken at the request of the Member State concerned.

- Third countries of which the conformity checks have been approved under Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 are allowed to issue certificates of conformity for all fruit and vegetables.

- For the purpose of traceability, the general marketing standards are amended to allow a better identification of producers of lots of fruit and vegetables.

- Alignment with the new UN/ECE standards on apples and pears. Additionally, time to adapt to the UN/ECE standard for certain mandarins other than satsumas and clementines.

- Approval of Israel to issue conformity checks under Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, however with limited territorial coverage.

The changes and amendments shall apply from 1 October 2013. However, article 2, marketing years, shall apply from 22 June 2011.

References:

(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 543/2011 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CON...)
(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 594/2013 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:...)
(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) 1234/2007 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CON...)

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