EU prepares U-turn on wonky fruit and vegetables

The European Commission says it wants to loosen the rules that prevent knobbly fruit and vegetables being sold alongside more shapely examples.

But the Commission says its efforts to simplify EU legislation have been resisted by some countries.

The complicated marketing rules have spawned long-running debates about straight bananas and cucumbers.



The Commission says misshapen fruit should be sold "with some sort of label for use in cooking".

"In an era of high prices and growing demand, this makes more sense than just throwing them away," said a statement from the office of Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

Among the 26 foods designated to be removed from the Commission's standards list are: aubergines, beans, carrots, courgettes, cucumbers, leeks, melons, onions, plums and spinach. The standards would remain for: apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces and endives, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.

With news video.