1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EEC)No1677/88
of15June1988
layingdownqualitystandardsforcucumbers
(OJ L 150, 16.6.1988, p. 21)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1 Commission Regulation (EC) No 888/97 of 16 May 1997 L 126 11 17.5.1997
►M2 Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M3 Commission Regulation (EC) No 907/2004 of 29 April 2004 L 163 50 30.4.2004
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EEC)No1677/88
of15June1988
layingdownqualitystandardsforcucumbers
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72 of 18 May
1972 on the common organization of the market in fruit and vegeta-bles (
1), as lastamended by Regulat ion (EEC) No 1117/88 (2), and in
particular Article 2 (3) thereof,
Whereas Council Regulation No 183/64/EEC (3) lays down quality
standards for cucumbers;
Whereas a change has occurred in the production and marketing of
those products, particularly as regards the requirements of consumer
and wholesale markets; whereas the common quality standards forcucumbers should therefore be changed to take those new requirementsinto account;
Whereas such changes entail alteration of the definition of the supple-
mentary quality class as laid down by Council Regulation (EEC) No1194/69 (
4) as lastamended by Regulat ion (EEC) No 79/88 (5); whereas
account should be taken, in defining that class, of the economic impor-tance to producers of the products concerned and of the need to meetconsumer requirements;
Whereas the standards are applicable at all stages of marketing;
whereas transportation over a long distance, storage for a certain lengthof time or the various handling operations may bring about deteriora-tion due to the biological development of the products or their
tendency to perish; whereas, therefore, account should be taken of
such deterioration when applying the standards of marketing stagesfollowing dispatch;
Whereas in the interests of clarity and certainty as to legal require-
ments and for ease of use the standards thus changed should be
consolidated in a single text;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accor-
dance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fruit and
Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The quality standards for cucumbers, falling within subheading
0707 00 11 and 0707 00 19 of the combined nomenclature shall be asset out in the Annex hereto.
Those standards shall apply at all marketing stages, under the condi-
tions laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72.
However, at stages following dispatch the products may show, in rela-
tion to the standards prescribed a slight lack of freshness andturgescence and slight alteration due to their biological developmentand their tendency to perish.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 2
(1) OJ No L 118, 20. 5. 1972, p. 1.
(2) OJ No L 107, 28. 4. 1988, p. 1.
(3) OJ No 192, 25. 11. 1964, p. 3217/64.
(4) OJ No L 157, 28. 6. 1969, p. 1.
(5) OJ No L 10, 14. 1. 1988, p. 8.
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Article 2
Regulation No 183/64/EEC is hereby amended as follows:
— the second indent of Article 1 (2) is deleted,
— Annex I/2 is deleted.
Article 3
Regulation (EEC) No 1194/69 is hereby amended as follows:
— in Article 1, the words ‘and cucumbers’ are deleted,
— Annex VII is deleted.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1989.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 3
▼B
ANNEX
QUALITYSTANDARDSFORCUCUMBERS
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to cucumbers grown from varieties (cultivars) of
Cucumis sativus L . to be supplied fresh to the consumer, cucumbers for
processing and gherkins being excluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for cucum-
bers after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimumrequirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the
tolerances allowed, cucumbers must be:
— intact,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make
itunfitfor consumpt ion is excluded,
— fresh in appearance,
— firm,
— clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter,
— practically free from pests,
— practically free from damage caused by pests,— free of bitter taste (subject to the special provisions for class II
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M1 ◄under the heading ‘Tolerances’),
— free of abnormal external moisture,
— free of foreign smell and/or taste.
Cucumbers must be sufficiently developed but their seeds must be soft.The condition of the produce must be such as to enable it:
— to withstand transport and handling, and
— to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
B.Classification
Cucumbers are classed into the three classes defined below:
(i)‘Extra’ class
Cucumbers in this class must be of superior quality. They must
have all the characteristics of the variety.
They must:
— be well developed
— be well shaped and practically straight (maximum height of the
arc: 10 mm per 10 cm of length of the cucumber)
— have a typical colouring for the variety
— be free of defects, including all deformations and particularly
those caused by seed formation.
(ii)Class I
Cucumbers in this class must be of good quality. They must:
— be reasonably developed
— be reasonably well shaped and practically straight (maximum
height of the arc: 10 mm per 10 cm of the length of cucumber).
The following defects are allowed:
— a slight deformation, but excluding that caused by seed forma-
tion
— a slightdefectin colouring, especially t he lightcoloured partof
the cucumber where it touched the ground during growth
— slightskin blemishes due t o rubbing and handling or low
temperatures, provided that such blemishes have healed and do
not affect the keeping quality.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 4
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(iii)Class II:
This class includes cucumbers which do notqualify for inclusion in
the higher classes but satisfy the minimum requirements specified
above. However, they may have the following defects:
— deformations other than serious seed development,
— defects in colouring up to one-third of the surface; in the case
of cucumbers grown under protection,
considerable defects in colouring in the affected part are not
allowed,
— healed cracks,
— slightdamage caused by rubbing and handling which does not
seriously affect the keeping quality and appearance.
All the defects listed above are allowed for straight and slightly
crooked cucumbers.
On the other hand, crooked cucumbers are allowed only if they
have no more than slight defects in colouring and have no defects
or deformation other than crookedness.
Slightly crooked cucumbers may have a maximum height of the arc
of 20 mm per 10 cm of length of the cucumber.
Crooked cucumbers may have a greater arc and must be packed
separately.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Sizing is determined by the weight of the cucumber.
(i) Cucumbers grown in the open must weigh 180 g or more. Cucumbers
grown under protection must weigh 250 g or more.
(ii) Moreover, ‘Extra’ Class and Class I cucumbers grown under protection
weighing:
— 500 g or more mustbe notless t han 30 cm long,
— between 250 and 500 g must be not less than 25 cm long.
(iii) Sizing is compulsory for classes ‘Extra’ and I.
The difference in weight between the heaviest and lightest cucumbers
in the same package must not exceed:
— 100 grams where the lightest piece weighs between 180 and 400
grams,
— 150 grams where the lightest piece weighs 400 grams or more.
(iv) The provisions concerning sizing are notapplicable t o ‘shortcucum-
bers’.
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respectof qualit y and size are allowed in each package for
produce not satisfying the requirements for the class indicated.
A.Qualitytolerances:
(i)‘Extra’ Class:
5 % by number of cucumbers not satisfying the requirements for
the class but meeting the requirements for Class I, or exceptionally
coming within the tolerances for that class.
(ii)Class I:
10 % by number of cucumbers not satisfying the requirements for
the class but meeting the requirements for Class II, or exceptionally
coming within the tolerances for that class.
(iii)Class II:
10 % by number of cucumbers satisfying neither the requirements
for the class nor the minimum requirements, to the exclusion of
produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit
for consumption. Within this tolerance a maximum of 2 % by
number of cucumbers may have tips with a bitter taste.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 5
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B.Sizetolerances:
For all classes: 10 % by number of cucumbers not satisfying the size
requirements. However, this tolerance is applicable to produce which
differs by not more than 10 % from the size and weight limits specified.
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity:
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only cucum-
bers of the same origin, variety or type, quality and size (where
required). ►M1 ◄
The visible part of each 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-
bles on the conditions laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No
48/2003 (1).
B.Packaging:
The cucumbers must be packed in such a way as to protect them prop-
erly.
The cucumbers must be packed sufficiently tightly as to avoide damage
during transport.
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 and particularly of paper or stamps
bearing trade specifications is allowed provided that the printing or
labelling has been done with a non-toxic ink or glue.
The packages must be free of any 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 dispatcher
This 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 ‘Packerand/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.Natureofproduce:
— ‘Cucumbers’ if the contents are not visible from the outside,
— ‘under protection’, where appropriate, or an equivalent expression,
— ‘shortcucumbers’ or ‘mini-cucumbers’, as appropriat e.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 65.▼B
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C.Origin ofproduce:
Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national,
regional or local trade name.
D.Commercial specifications:
— Class and, as appropriate, for Class II ►M1 ◄,
‘crooked cucumbers’,
— Size (if the produce is sized) expressed in minimum and maximum
weightof t he cucumbers,
— Number of units (optional).
E.Official cratemarking (optional)
Packages need not to bear the particulars mentioned in the first subpar-
agraph, 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.1988R1677 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 003.001 — 7
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