Surely Healthier Low-chem Agricultural Products are More Important than the Shape of our Veg

Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers

The EU lifted its ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables in July 2009. Now they may be about to re-think and ban them again.

Last July (2009) we thought we'd seen the last of a regulation that's been a 20-year source of media mirth and mockery when the EU overturned its ban on more than 30 species of wonky fruit and veg.

But no, six months on the Eurocrats have caved in and agreed to consider bringing back the ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables following pressure from Spain, with potential backing from Italy, France and Hungary who had all objected to its being lifted last year.

The push to reintroduce the ban has a lot to do with the four trying to protect their domestic food markets and their export revenues. That may be an understandable response during a global economic crisis of the current magnitude.

When there's also a growing global threat of food scarcity does it make sense for the EU to be seriously contemplating the lunacy of chucking out perfectly safe and edible fresh produce - merely because a cucumber doesn't have a perfect curve or a carrot has a small carbuncle?

It plainly doesn't seem to have mattered that revoking the rules is believed to have reduced waste and cut food prices by an estimated 40 per cent in some cases. Nor, apparently, was it relevant that it could also have saved the UK's fresh produce industry an estimated £250,000 a year in admin costs, which would ultimately benefit consumers' pockets.

For once the UK seems to be the voice of sanity in this discussion. Nigel Jenney, CEO of the Food Produce Consortium said: "We would reject a ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables here in the UK. The UK fresh produce industry has taken advantage of a more flexible approach, to the benefit of consumers, especially during these frugal times."

Do we really care about wonky fruit and veg?

Has anyone thought to ask consumers struggling in the current recession whether they welcomed the chance of buying misshapes at much reduced prices, giving them the option of continuing to buy healthy, natural products in preference to allegedly cheaper processed ones?

Surely what is most important to anyone wanting to do their best for their family is that the food they buy in the weekly shop is affordable, healthy and above all as safe to eat as possible.

Another element of last July's EU updated Regulation update could be far more significant than arguments about wonky vegetables.

It imposes tighter controls on imports of "certain feed and food of non-animal origin" from countries outside the EU because of the risk they contain banned chemical agro-products.

Among the produce listed in the regulations** are: groundnuts (peanuts) from Argentina, various spices from India, Basmati Rice from Pakistan and India all vulnerable to contamination with Aflatoxins, naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi and in high quantities can cause diseases of the liver. The list also includes Bananas from the Dominican Republic (various traces) and fresh, chilled or frozen Vegetables, (peppers, courgettes and tomatoes) from Turkey (highly toxic chemical pesticides: methomyl and oxamyl)

(** EC Regulation 669/22009)

The UK's Food Standards Agency is currently consulting on the regulations - causing a delay that is having a devastating impact on importers accorting to Nigel Jenney.

But surely as consumers we should welcom anything that could help protect us from explosure to high-chem pesticides in our food.

If, at the same time, the tighter import restrictions encourage overseas producers to switch to low-chem "bio-pesticides" which are created from natural sources, biodegrade quicker, leave fewer traces in produce and target specific pests, unlike the earlier wide-spectrum chemical pesticides that attacked friend, foe, soil and water alike then surely both producers, consumers and the world's soil and water resources will benefit.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Articles Back Link | Surely Healthier Low-chem Agricultural Products are More Important than the Shape of our Veg</title></head><body><h3>Surely Healthier Low-chem Agricultural Products are More Important than the Shape of our Veg</h3><br><br> By: Alison Withers<br><br><p><p>Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers</P><p>The EU lifted its ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables in July 2009. Now they may be about to re-think and ban them again.</P><p>Last July (2009) we thought we'd seen the last of a regulation that's been a 20-year source of media mirth and mockery when the EU overturned its ban on more than 30 species of wonky fruit and veg.</P><p>But no, six months on the Eurocrats have caved in and agreed to consider bringing back the ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables following pressure from Spain, with potential backing from Italy, France and Hungary who had all objected to its being lifted last year.</P><p>The push to reintroduce the ban has a lot to do with the four trying to protect their domestic food markets and their export revenues. That may be an understandable response during a global economic crisis of the current magnitude.</P><p>When there's also a growing global threat of food scarcity does it make sense for the EU to be seriously contemplating the lunacy of chucking out perfectly safe and edible fresh produce - merely because a cucumber doesn't have a perfect curve or a carrot has a small carbuncle?</P><p>It plainly doesn't seem to have mattered that revoking the rules is believed to have reduced waste and cut food prices by an estimated 40 per cent in some cases. Nor, apparently, was it relevant that it could also have saved the UK's fresh produce industry an estimated £250,000 a year in admin costs, which would ultimately benefit consumers' pockets.</P><p>For once the UK seems to be the voice of sanity in this discussion. Nigel Jenney, CEO of the Food Produce Consortium said: "We would reject a ban on misshapen fruit and vegetables here in the UK. The UK fresh produce industry has taken advantage of a more flexible approach, to the benefit of consumers, especially during these frugal times."</P><p>Do we really care about wonky fruit and veg?</P><p>Has anyone thought to ask consumers struggling in the current recession whether they welcomed the chance of buying misshapes at much reduced prices, giving them the option of continuing to buy healthy, natural products in preference to allegedly cheaper processed ones?</P><p>Surely what is most important to anyone wanting to do their best for their family is that the food they buy in the weekly shop is affordable, healthy and above all as safe to eat as possible.</P><p>Another element of last July's EU updated Regulation update could be far more significant than arguments about wonky vegetables.</P><p>It imposes tighter controls on imports of "certain feed and food of non-animal origin" from countries outside the EU because of the risk they contain banned chemical agro-products.</P><p>Among the produce listed in the regulations** are: groundnuts (peanuts) from Argentina, various spices from India, Basmati Rice from Pakistan and India all vulnerable to contamination with Aflatoxins, naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi and in high quantities can cause diseases of the liver. The list also includes Bananas from the Dominican Republic (various traces) and fresh, chilled or frozen Vegetables, (peppers, courgettes and tomatoes) from Turkey (highly toxic chemical pesticides: methomyl and oxamyl)</P><p>(** EC Regulation 669/22009)</P><p>The UK's Food Standards Agency is currently consulting on the regulations - causing a delay that is having a devastating impact on importers accorting to Nigel Jenney.</P><p>But surely as consumers we should welcom anything that could help protect us from explosure to high-chem pesticides in our food.</P><p>If, at the same time, the tighter import restrictions encourage overseas producers to switch to low-chem "bio-pesticides" which are created from natural sources, biodegrade quicker, leave fewer traces in produce and target specific pests, unlike the earlier wide-spectrum chemical pesticides that attacked friend, foe, soil and water alike then surely both producers, consumers and the world's soil and water resources will benefit.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  <br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.articlesbacklink.com/'>Articles Back Link</a><br></body></html>