Just heard the Eu are going to allow retailers to sell strange shaped veg.
I never knew there was a rule about it.Thought it was the supermarkets insisting on perfect shapes.
Do you think veg may be cheaper now?
One can but hope so, but the supermarkets are hand-in-glove with the EU on this. They reject loads of edible fruit and veg, for not being 'perfect'.
valmarg
It doesn't seem to bother other countries in the EU. My friends/rellies from Italy are amazed at the rules and regulations we have in this country which are blamed on the EU - I certainly noticed that the quality of the veg in the supermarkets and markets there, both in the country and city, is far superior to here, regardless of the shape of the veg. Even lemons, which I bought for a lemon meringue pie, were imported from South Africa, but were more similar to Sorrento lemons and had far more flavour than the miserable little specimens we get here.
It reminds me of when I worked for Lavazza: They import coffee from Brazil - and export it to Brazil. This is because the best of Brazilian produce is exported, and the rich Brazilians like the better quality, so import it back again. The Italians do it the other way - they keep the best for themselves and export the rest. That's probably why "Italian" food made with UK ingredients isn't as good as when cooked with the genuine better quality imgredients.
on further news from the Eu people from Europe will no longer be called Europeans.
they will now be referred to as Haftaurinate, people from Paris will be referred to as Parasites,
Grease will now be referred to as "De-glazing", Hungary will be called" Feed Me " and Poland
will be known as land of millions of staffs.
see you've settled nicely into that new job of yours ~ writing the jokes for the UKIP Deluxe Christmas Crackers
Quote from: betula on November 12, 2008, 16:06:15
Just heard the Eu are going to allow retailers to sell strange shaped veg.
I never knew there was a rule about it.Thought it was the supermarkets insisting on perfect shapes.
Do you think veg may be cheaper now?
I think they will be cheaper. Which isn't to excuse the supermarkets entirely, by the way.
In the current hard times, I think that we'll see a lot more "value" produce, which will be the second grade stuff bagged up to sell cheaply. Of course, the supermarkets will drive a very hard bargain with the farmers, so they'll buy it ultra-cheaply. They'll maintain their profits, though, so they won't care whether we buy "value", "standard" or "premium" grades. We'll be happy because we think we're getting a bargain.
It's a win-win. Except for the farmers, of course. So perhaps better to say win-win-lose. But, hey, two out of three ain't bad.
Finally, it is a bit curious that the pro-Eurocracy lot always used to deny that there were any rules about straight bananas and cucumbers. We were told it was just a lot of propaganda got up by eurosceptics.
Now they're abolishing all these bizarre rules, they're suddenly admitting to their existence, so that the abolition can be sold as a virtue. "Look how progressive we are. We're getting rid of all these silly rules."
And for how long were the politicians telling us that there were no regulations banning strange-shaped vegetables?
As the old saying goes 'How can you tell when a politician is lying - his (or her!) lips are moving...'
Spinny
Melbourne12,
The most sensible post of a veg. thread I've read on A4A.
8)
Apparently up to 30% of some types of fruit & veg cannot currently be sold and goes to waste or used as animal feed because of its odd shape. Strange really when you look at all the homeless and hungry people. I wonder if these bureaucrats ever expected us lot not to eat odd shaped veg that grows on our allotments............ I waste none of mine if I can help it. Eat the lot.
Are they technically banned or are they just not class A? If the latter, the politicians could weasel out without actually lying.
Then of course there will be the EU ban on pesticides. This will make produce more expensive,
You win some, you lose some.
Either way fruit and veg are not going to be any cheaper. :'( :'( :'(
valmarg
its about time these so called experts seen sense,
the beef farmer who i got my muck off was telling me that he has had to get rid of half of his breading stock a rule comes in to force this year that any cows bulls over 12 years cant be used for breeding ,and he would have to pay for them to be removed
Now we do go abroad a lot and because we noticed there are so many different fresh fruits and vegetables on the markets, it was not long before we (who both love to cook) decided not to take hotel holidays where they are lavish with frozen vegetables and rubbish salads but to rent apartments so that we could enjoy the local fresh stuff. Often spending more than we would have for a hotel room with food.
The first thing we noticed was that the fruit and vegetables were never the perfect items we are used to getting here in the UK.
I queried this and was told that the perfect stuff went for export (no doubt to the UK) the locally grown foods were left to ripen and then was sold in the shops and markets. Locals were quite happy with mis-shapes, most were first or second generation small holders and knew that size and shape of fruit and vegetables did not impare flavour.
In Italy one year a much travelled Italian said to us:
'You know, the EEC is fine, but you British and the Germans take it all too seriously. You argue every little point and then enforce it. The rest of us, well we agree to every thing and then we say. We have done what we can'
He actually summed it all up. One region had been troubled with a series of floods and were ordered by the EEC to put in place flood prevention measures.
They had plans drawn up to show how the measures would be implemented. Not a thing had been done, but they had done what they could, they had prepared a plan. As soon as money was available the plans would be implemented.
The EEC it seems is meant to be advisory. We, it seems, think that it is mandatory and this is why we have more problems than other nations.
I seem to remember this when I worked on an International Specification Commitee for metallic material Standards.
The British Standards - I like that & would like to discuss it further.
The French Standards - We'll think about it & threw it in the bin
The Italian Standards - Read it & threw it in the bin.
The German Standards - Incorporate it IMMEDIATELY & DOUBLE the requirements of the spec. whilst doing so.
PurpleH - yes, you're right there.
Telboy - re the EU "laws" - the Germans invented them, the British obey them (to the letter), the French disobey them, the Italians make up their own and the Spanish and Portuguese have never heard of them.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Do you think veg may be cheaper now?
Not if I can make some cash by writing a bit of copy-my wife always said I should have sold my soul to advertising.
Our veg is `natural` not just a uniform shape-grown as nature intended.
(price increase not mentioned)
In the long run, I doubt it. If they introduce the mis-shapes as inferior, so therefore cheaper, they will have to sell them at a lower price. In about 10-20 years time when everyone is used to seeing/buying these, the price will creep up so we would end up paying normal price for the mis-shapes and a premium for the "top quality" "perfect" specimens. Someone has to make money out of it, and it is not the producer for sure, nor saving at the consumer end.
>:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Grrrrrrrr