EUR-Lex - 31994R2257 - EN
A. Minimum requirements In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the bananas must be: - green and unripened, - intact, - firm, - sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded, - clean, practically free from visible foreign matter, - practically free from pests, - practically free from damage caused by pests, - with the stalk intact, without bending, fungal damage or dessication, - with pistils removed, - free from malformation or abnormal curvature of the fingers, - practically free from bruises, - practically free from damage due to low temperatures, - free from abnormal external moisture, - free from any foreign smell and/or taste.<...> The minimum length permitted is 14 cm and the minimum grade permitted is 27 mm. As an exception to the last paragraph, bananas produced in Madeira, the Azores, the Algarve, Crete and Lakonia which are less than 14 cm in length may be marketed in the Community but must be classified in Class II.
A. Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the bananas must be:
- green and unripened,
- intact,
- firm,
- sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded,
- clean, practically free from visible foreign matter,
- practically free from pests,
- practically free from damage caused by pests,
- with the stalk intact, without bending, fungal damage or dessication,
- with pistils removed,
- free from malformation or abnormal curvature of the fingers,
- practically free from bruises,
- practically free from damage due to low temperatures,
- free from abnormal external moisture,
- free from any foreign smell and/or taste.
<...>
The minimum length permitted is 14 cm and the minimum grade permitted is 27 mm.
As an exception to the last paragraph, bananas produced in Madeira, the Azores, the Algarve, Crete and Lakonia which are less than 14 cm in length may be marketed in the Community but must be classified in Class II.
So, a detailed regulation on the quality of imported fruit permitted for sale, that might be found on any country's statute book. The point about the bend is a point about malformation.
This is about laying down standards for producers. In particular:
the purpose of these standards is to ensure that the market is supplied with products of uniform and satisfactory quality, in particular in the case of bananas harvested in the Community, for which efforts to improve quality should be made.
"In the Community" would cover the French overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe, for instance. It's to be expected that the big producers, like Chiquita, Dole, etc, were already applying similar standards, simply because, in their industrial perspective, it is counter-productive to work with plantations that turn out heterogenous material in terms of packaging, transport, and final consumer acceptance.
Now, either you regulate in matters like these or you leave it to "the market". In any case, you'll note that all fruit (in the US and Europe, at least) is sold in carefully-measured sizes. It seems 1) industrial process; 2) marketability 3) regulations where they exist, concur to produce a similar result.
Are industrial process or free markets held up to ridicule for laying down measured standards?
On that EUR-Lex page, I could not find references to penalties, rights to sell, etc. So I am not clear just what effect such standards have in practice.
I guess they are are just "guidelines" then. Cynicism is intellectual treason.
