It has always seemed to me that when the national media are short of copy about the fresh produce industry, they turn their attention to the now famous - or should that be infamous? - EU directives concerning the regulations covering quality of fruit and vegetables.

The hundreds of tonnes of stonefruit and tomatoes which were dumped in the wine lakes surrounded by the butter mountains over the years have similarly hit the headlines. But it was always the regulations governing bent bananas and crooked cucumbers, reminiscent of those old-fashioned music hall jokes but with a latter-day political twist, which have drawn criticism from the day they were written down.

Even before their arrival they were greeted with scepticism. I wrote a piece for the Financial Times on their impending implementation, which drew several readers’ letters from Brits who had been on holiday on the continent. They posed a question which has never gone away. Why was it possible to wander around the Mediterranean marvelling at produce sold in street markets that appeared to be free of such restraints?

But now, it seems, times are changing, as the EU seeks reform in light of the publicity given to reducing food waste. However, this may prove to be nothing more than a political stopgap, while far more critical global shortages build.

Even giving the community credit for working to a more liberal interpretation, this does not automatically mean an easy ride. There are already signs of compromise. While 26 products have been selected, several significant crops, led by top fruit, have been omitted. Indeed, the changes envisaged for those crops selected may prove to be so slight that it will make very little difference to most observers. And if more fruit and vegetables do become available on paper, to whom will they go?

I remember a wise old grower telling me years ago it cost as much to harvest a Class II tomato as a Class I, while the sheer perishability of most produce never allowed it to be shunted around waiting for a buyer. In fact, outside the political arena, a different world already exists. I wonder, for example, how many consumers realise that the EU regulations have only ever set minimum standards. Multiples, which now account for some 85 per cent of British retail sales, dictate their own individual quality requirements, regardless of community legislation.

Over the years I have had a chance to glimpse the retail compendiums which sit in category managers’ offices. The contents - beyond the obligatory packhouse audit - are far more exacting than anything that Brussels ever envisaged. Additionally, with many crops already facing overproduction, it seems highly improbable that in the multiples’ own very competitive world, any changes from Brussels, if pushed through, will lead to a slackening of their own disciplined standards.

The best that could be hoped for in this area, I would imagine, is that some retailer, as a gimmick or special offer to draw in the crowds, might briefly provide shelf space for produce once considered “deformed”, linked to a bargain price.

The alternative route is the wholesale markets, which also only have a certain capacity because of fewer buyers; unless a whole new marketing scenario evolves.

Topics