Warm welcome for ugly fruit and veg

Let’s thank the EU for making our grocery shopping cheaper! Starting from last week misshapen fruit and vegetables can be bought in supermarkets and retailers say that they could be 40% cheaper than the standard produce.

For more than twenty years, the European Union standards has ensured that only the best looking (not always best tasting, though!) produce gets to the supermarket shelves. Garlic was not allowed to be sold with a bulb missing, cauliflower's diameter had to be over 11cm, and a string of onions had to have at least 16 bulbs.
The lifted ban will also mean less food waste and happier farmers, who will sell more products.

The classification system will still apply to 75 percent of the produce, such as apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes. These can be sold as irregular, but must be labelled “cooking”.

Fruit and vegetables that can now be sold as irregular are: apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocados, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts, cabbage, leeks, melon, onions, peas, plums, celery, spinach, walnuts, watermelons, and chicory.