2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 1
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►B COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 843/2002
of 21 May 2002
laying down the marketing standard for strawberries and amending Regulation (EEC) No 899/87
(OJ L 134, 22.5.2002, p. 24)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1 Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M2 Commission Regulation (EC) No 907/2004 of 29 April 2004 L 163 50 30.4.2004
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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 843/2002
of 21 May 2002
laying down the marketing standard for strawberries and
amending Regulation (EEC) No 899/87
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October
1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegeta-bles (
1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 545/2002 (2), and in
particular Article 2(2) and Article 3(3)(c) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Strawberries are among the products listed in Annex I to Regu-
lation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted.Commission Regulation (EEC) No 899/87 of 30 March 1987laying down quality standards for cherries and strawberries (
3),
as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 888/97 (4), has been
amended and can no longer ensure legal clarity.
(2) For clarity, the rules on strawberries should be separated fromthose on other products under Regulation (EEC) No 899/87. Onthis occasion, in the interest of preserving transparency on theworld market, account should be taken of the standard for straw-
berries recommended by the Working Party on Standardisation
of Perishable Produce and Quality Development of the UnitedNations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE). The rulesconcerning strawberries should therefore be recast and Regula-tion (EEC) No 899/87 amended accordingly.
(3) Application of new standards should remove products of unsatis-factory quality from the market, bring production into line withconsumer requirements and facilitate trade based on fair compe-tition, thereby helping to improve profitability.
(4) The standards are applicable at all marketing stages. Long-
distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various
processes the products undergo may cause some degree of dete-rioration owing to the biological development of the products ortheir perishable nature. Account should be taken of such dete-rioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages
following dispatch. As products in the ‘Extra’ Class have to be
particularly carefully sorted and packaged, only lack of freshnessand turgidity is to be taken into account in their case.
(5) Sufficient maturity should be one of the minimum requirementsfor strawberries. Existing scientific and technical data do not
permit reliable and objective criteria for assessing this require-
ment to be defined.
(6) The marketing without calyx of strawberries of certain varietiesthat easily lose their calyx at harvest is traditional in the region
of production in Finland and in Denmark. These two Member
States have, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2200/96,requested that strawberries produced and consumed in thoseregions should not have to comply with the standards. ThisRegulation should therefore include a derogation to that effect.
(7) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordancewith the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruitand Vegetables,2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 84, 28.3.2002, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 88, 31.3.1987, p. 17.
(4) OJ L 126, 17.5.1997, p. 11.
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HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standard for strawberries falling within CN code
0810 10 00 shall be as set out in the Annex.
The standard shall apply at all marketing stages under the conditions
laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96.
However, at stages following dispatch, products may show in relation
to the requirements of the standard:
(a) a slight lack of freshness and turgidity;
(b) for products graded in classes other than the ‘Extra’ Class, slight
deteriorations due to their development and their tendency toperish.
Article 2
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Regulation, strawberries of
varieties that easily lose their calyx at harvest may be sold without
calyx in the region of production in Finland and in Denmark.
2. For the application of paragraph 1, each package or lot shall bear,
in addition to the other indication required, the following indication:
— in Finnish: ‘myydään ainoastaan … (region of production)’,
— in Danish: ‘må kun sælges i … (region of production)’,— in Swedish: ‘får endast säljas i … (region of production).’
Article 3
Regulation (EEC) No 899/87 is amended as follows:
(a) The title is replaced by the following: ‘Commission Regulation
(EEC) No 899/87 of 30 March 1987 laying down quality standardsfor cherries’.
(b) Article 1(1) is replaced by the following:
‘1. The marketing standards for cherries, falling within CN code
0809 20 95, shall be as set out in the Annex.’
(c) Annex II is deleted.
(d) In Annex I, the words ‘Annex I’ are replaced by the following
word: ‘Annex’.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
It shall apply from the first day of the third month following its entry
into force.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 3
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ANNEX
STANDARD FOR STRAWBERRIES
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to strawberries of varieties (cultivars) grown from the
genus Fragaria L. to be supplied fresh to the consumer, strawberries for
industrial processing being excluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements of straw-
berries after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the
tolerances allowed, the strawberries must be:
— intact,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make
it unfit for consumption is excluded,
— clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter,
— fresh in appearance, but not washed,
— practically free from pests,— practically free from damage caused by pests,— with the calyx (except in the case of wild strawberries); the calyx
and the stalk (if present) must be fresh and green,
— free of abnormal external moisture,— free of any foreign smell and/or taste.
The strawberries must have been carefully picked.
They must be sufficiently developed and display satisfactory ripeness.
The development and the condition must be such as to enable them:
— to withstand transport and handling, and
— to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
B.Classification
The strawberries are classified in three classes defined below:(i) ‘Extra’ Class
The strawberries in this class must be of superior quality. They
must be characteristic of the variety.
They must be bright in appearance, allowing for the characteristics
of the variety.
They must be free from soil.They must be free from defects with the exception of very slight
superficial defects provided these do not affect the general appear-
ance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and
presentation in the package.
(ii) Class I
Strawberries in this class must be of good quality. In colouring and
shape, they must be characteristic of the variety.
The following slight defects, however, may be allowed provided
these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the
quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:
— slight defect of shape,
— a white patch, not exceeding one tenth of the surface area of the
fruit,
— slight superficial pressure marks.
They must be practically free from soil.2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 4
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(iii) Class II
This class includes strawberries which do not qualify for inclusion
in the higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements speci-
fied above.
The following defects may be allowed provided the strawberries
retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the
keeping quality and presentation:
— defects of shape,
— a white patch not exceeding one fifth of the surface area of the
fruit,
— slight dry bruising not likely to spread,
— slight traces of soil.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section.Strawberries must be of the following minimum sizes:
— ‘Extra’ Class: 25 mm,
— Classes I and II: 18 mm.
There is no minimum size for wild strawberries.
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package
for produce not satisfying the requirements of the class indicated.
A.Quality tolerances
(i) ‘Extra’ Class
5 % by number or weight of strawberries not satisfying the require-
ments of the class but meeting those of Class I or, exceptionally,
coming within the tolerances of that class. Of these 5 % not more
than 2 % in total may consist of spoilt fruit.
(ii) Class I
10 % by number or weight of strawberries not satisfying the
requirements of the class but meeting those of Class II or, excep-
tionally, coming within the tolerances of that class. Of these 10 %,
not more than 2 % in total may consist of spoilt fruit.
(iii) Class II
10 % by number or weight of strawberries satisfying neither the
requirements of the class nor the minimum requirements, with the
exception of produce affected by rotting, severe bruising or any
other deterioration rendering it unfit for consumption. Of these
10 %, not more than 2 % in total may consist of spoilt fruit.
B.Size tolerances
For all classes: 10 % by number or weight of strawberries not
conforming to the minimum size.
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only straw-
berries of the same origin, variety and quality.
In the ‘Extra’ Class, strawberries — with the exception of wood straw-
berries — must be particularly uniform and regular with respect to
degree of ripeness, colour and size. In Class I, strawberries may be less
uniform in size.
The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of
the entire contents.
Notwithstanding the preceding provisions in this point, products covered
by this Regulation may be mixed, in sales packages of a net weight of
less than three kilograms, with different types of fresh fruit and vegeta-2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 5
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bles on the conditions laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No
48/2003 (1).
B.Packaging
The strawberries must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce
properly.
The materials used inside the package must be new, clean and of a
quality such as to avoid causing any external or internal damage to the
produce. The use of materials, particularly of paper or stamps bearing
trade specifications is allowed provided the printing or labelling has
been done with non-toxic ink or glue.
Fruit in the ‘Extra’ Class must be particularly well presented.Packages must be free of all foreign matter.
Stickers individually affixed on product shall be such as, when removed,
neither to leave visible traces of glue, nor to lead to skin defects.
VI. PROVISIONS CONCERNING MARKING
Each package must bear the following particulars, in letters grouped on the
same side, legibly and indelibly marked, and visible from the outside:
A.Identification
The name and the address of the packer and/or the dispatcherThis mention may be replaced:
— for all packages with the exception of pre-packages, by the officially
issued or accepted code mark representing the packer and/or the
dispatcher, indicated in close connection with the reference ‘Packer
and/or Dispatcher’ (or equivalent abbreviations);
— for pre-packages only, by the name and the address of a seller estab-
lished within the Community indicated in close connection with the
mention ‘Packed for:’ or an equivalent mention. In this case, the
labelling shall also include a code representing the packer and/or
the dispatcher. The seller shall give all information deemed neces-
sary by the inspection body as to the meaning of this code.
B.Nature of produce
— ‘Strawberries’, if the contents of the package are not visible from the
outside.
— Name of the variety (optional).
C.Origin of produce
— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national,
regional or local place name.
D.Commercial specifications
— Class.
B. Official control mark (optional)
Packages need not to bear the particulars mentioned in the first subpara-
graph, when they contain sales packages, clearly visible from the outside,
and all bearing these particulars. These packages shall be free from any
indications such as could mislead. When these packages are palletised, the
particulars shall be given on a notice placed in an obvious position on at
least two sides of the pallet.2002R0843 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 65.▼B
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