2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 1
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►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1508/2001
of24July2001
layingdownthemarketingstandardforonionsandamendingRegulation(EEC)No2213/83
(OJ L 200, 25.7.2001, p. 14)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 46/2003 of 10 January 2003 L 7 61 11.1.2003
►M2Commission Regulation (EC) No 1465/2003 of 19 August 2003 L 210 4 20.8.2003
►M3Commission Regulation (EC) No 907/2004 of 29 April 2004 L 163 50 30.4.2004
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1508/2001
of24July2001
laying down the marketing standard for onions and amending
Regulation(EEC)No2213/83
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2200/96 of 28 October
1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegeta-
bles (1), as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 911/
2001 (2), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)Onions are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation
(EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commis-sion Regulation (EEC) No 2213/83 of 28 July 1983 laying downquality standards for onions and witloof chicory (
3), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 2390/97(4), has been amended
and can no longer ensure legal clarity.
(2)In the interest of clarity, the rules on onions should be separated
from those on other products under Regulation (EEC) No 2213/
83. The rules in question should therefore be recast and Annex I
to Regulation (EC) No 2213/83 should be repealed. To that end,and in the interest of preserving transparency on the worldmarket, account should be taken of the standard for onionsrecommended by the Working Party on Standardisation ofPerishable Produce and Quality Development of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE).
(3)Application of these standards should remove products of unsa-
tisfactory quality from the market, bring production into line
withconsumer requirements and facilitate trade based on fair
competition, 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.
(5)The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance
with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit
and Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standard for onions, falling within CN code 0703 1019,
shall be as set out in the Annex.
This 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 slight lack of freshness and
turgidity, as well as slight deterioration due to their development andtheir perishable nature.2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 129, 11.5.2001, p. 3.
(3) OJ L 213, 4.8.1983, p. 13.
(4) OJ L 330, 2.12.1997, p. 12.
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Article 2
Regulation (EEC) No 2213/83 is amended as follows:1. In the title, the words ‘onions and’ are deleted.
2. Article 1(1) is replaced by the following:
‘1. The marketing standard for witloof chicory, falling within CN
code 070521 00, shall be as set out in the Annex to this Regula-tion.’
3. Annex I is deleted.
4. In Annex II, the title is replaced by the following title: ‘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 1 January 2002.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 3
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ANNEX
STANDARDFORONIONS
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to onions of varieties (cultivars) grown from Allium cepa
L. to be supplied to the consumer in the natural state, green onions with full
leaves and onions for industrial processing being excluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for onions,
after preparation and packaging.
A.Minimumrequirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the toler-
ances allowed, the onions must be:
— intact,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration suchas to make it
unfit for consumption is excluded,
— clean, practically free from any visible foreign matter,
— free from damage caused by frost,— sufficiently dry for the intended use (in the case of onions for storing, at
least the two first outer skins and the stem must be fully dried),
— without hollow or tough stems,— practically free from pests,— practically free from damage caused by pests,— free of abnormal external moisture,
— free of any foreign smell and/or taste.
In addition, the stems must be twisted or clean cut and must not exceed 6 cm
in length(except for stringed onions).
The development and condition of the onions 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 onions are classified in two classes defined below:
(i) Class I
Onions in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic
of the variety.
The bulbs must be:
— firm and compact,
— unsprouted (free from externally visible shoots),— free from swelling caused by abnormal development,— practically free of root tufts; however, for onions harvested before
complete maturity, root tufts are allowed.
The following 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:
— a slight defect in shape,
— a slight defect in colouring,— light staining which does not affect the last dried skin protecting the
flesh, provided it does not cover more than one- fifth of the bulb's
surface,
— superficial cracks in, and absence of part of the outer skins, provided
the flesh is protected.
(ii) Class II
This class includes onions which do not qualify for inclusion in Class I,
but satisfy the minimum requirements specified above. They must be
reasonably firm.2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 4
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The following defects may be allowed provided the onions retain their
essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and
presentation:
— defects in shape,
— defects in colouring,
— early signs of shoot growth visible from the outside (not more than
10 % by number or weight per unit of presentation),
— traces of rubbing,
— slight marking caused by parasites or disease,— small healed cracks,
— slight bruising, healed, unlikely to impair keeping qualities,
— root tufts,— stains which do not affect the last dried skin protecting the flesh,
provided they do not cover more than half the bulb's surface,
— cracks in the outer skins and the absence of a part of the outer skins
from not more than one third of bulb's surface, provided the flesh is
not damaged.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Size is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section. The
difference between the diameters of the smallest and largest onions in the same
package must not exceed:
— 5 mm where the diameter of the smallest onion is 10 mm and over but under
20 mm. However, where the diameter of the onion is 15 mm and over but
under 25 mm, the difference may be 10 mm,
— 15 mm where the diameter of the smallest onion is 20 mm and over but
under 40 mm,
— 20 mm where the diameter of the smallest onion is 40 mm and over but
under 70 mm,
— 30 mm where the diameter of the smallest onion is 70 mm and over.
The minimum diameter is 10 mm.
IV. PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package
(or eachlot, for products presented in bulk) for produce not satisfying th e
requirements of the class indicated.
A.Qualitytolerances
(i) Class I
10 % by number or weight of onions not satisfying the requirements of
the class, but meeting those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming within
the tolerances of that class.
(ii) Class II
10 % by number or weight of onions satisfying neither the requirements
of the class, nor the minimum requirements, with the exception of
produce affected by rotting or any other deterioration rendering it unfit
for consumption.
B.Sizetolerances
For all classes: 10 % by number or weight of onions not satisfying the size
identified, but witha diameter of no more th an 20 % below or above it.
V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package (or each lot, for products presented in bulk)
must be uniform and contain only onions of the same origin, variety, quality
and size.
Sales packages, of a net weight not exceeding three kilograms, may however
contain mixtures of onions of different colours, provided they are uniform in
quality, and, for eachcolour concerned, in origin, variety and size.
The visible part of the contents of the package (or each lot, for products
presented in bulk) must be representative of the entire contents.2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 5
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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 vegetables on the
conditions laid down by Commission Regulation (EC) No 48/2003 (1).
B.Packaging
Onions must be packed in sucha way as to protect th e 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 paper or stamps, bearing trade specifications is
allowed provided the printing or labelling has been done with non-toxic ink
or glue.
Packages must be free from 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.
C.Presentation
Onions may be presented:
— arranged in layers,
— loose in the package (including in bulk bins),
— transported in bulk in the means of transport,
— in strings:
either of a certain number of bulbs, in which case the strings must
contain at least six onions (withfully dried stems),
or of a certain net weight.
For stringed onions, the characteristics of the strings in any one package
(number of bulbs or net weight) must be uniform.
VI. PROVISIONS CONCERNING MARKING
Each package must bear the following particulars in letters grouped on the
same side, only for produce presented in a package, legibly and indelibly
marked, and visible from the outside.
For onions transported in bulk (direct loading into a transport vehicle), these
particulars must appear on a document accompanying the goods, and be
attached in a visible position inside the transport vehicle.
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 ‘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 label-
ling shall also include a code representing the packer and/or the
dispatcher. The seller shall give all information deemed necessary by
the inspection body as to the meaning of this code.
B.Natureofproduce
— ‘Onions’ if the contents are not visible from the outside,
— In the case of sales packages containing a mixture of different colours of
onions:
— ‘Mixed onions’ or equivalent denomination,2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 6
(1) OJ L 7, 11.1.2003, p. 65.▼B
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— when the contents are not visible from the outside, the indication of
each of the colours present in the package, and, of the minimum
number of pieces of eachof th e colours concerned.
C.Originofproduce
— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national,
regional or local place name,
— In the case of sales packages containing a mixture of onions of different
colours of different origins, the indication of each country of origin shall
appear next to the name of the colour concerned.
D.Commercialspecifications
— Class.
— Size expressed by minimum and maximum diameters.
— Net weight.
E.Officialcontrol 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 indi-
cations 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.2001R1508 — EN — 20.05.2004 — 002.001 — 7
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