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1This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its con-
tents
COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 899/87
of 30 March 1987
laying down quality standards for cherries and strawberries
(OJ No L 88, 31. 3. 1987, p. 17)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3594/89 of 30 November 1989 L 350 61 1. 12. 1989
Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1435/91 of 30 May 1991 L 137 20 31. 5. 1991Commission Regulation (EEC) No 658/92 of 16 March 1992 L 70 15 17. 3. 1992Commission Regulation (EC) No 888/97 of 16 May 1997 L 126 11 17. 5. 1997
Corrected
by:
C1 Corrigendum, OJ No L 130, 20. 5. 1987, p. 18 (899/87)
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ICOMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 899/87
of 30 March 1987
laying down quality standards for cherries and strawberries
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the T reaty establishing the EuropeanEconomic Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72
of 18 May 1972 on the common organization of the
market in fruit and vegetables (
1), as last amended by Re-
gulation (EEC) No 1351/86 (2), and in particular Article 2
(3) thereof,
Whereas the quality standards for cherries and strawberries
are laid down in Annexes I/8 and I/9 of Commission Re-
gulation No 58 (3); whereas those standards were amended
by Regulations (EEC) No 51/65 (4)a n d( E E C )N o
844/76 (5);
Whereas a change has occured in the production and
marketing of these products particularly as regards the re-
quirements of consumer and wholesale markets; whereas
the common quality standards for cherries and strawberries
should therefore be changed to take those new require-
ments into account;
Whereas such changes entail alteration of the definition of
the supplementary quality class as laid down by Council
Regulation (EEC) No 1194/69 (6); whereas account should
be taken, in defining that class, of the economic import-
ance to producers of the products concerned and of the
need to meet consumer requirements;
Whereas the standards are applicable at all stages of
marketing; whereas transportation over a long distance,
storage for a certain length of time or the various handling
operations may bring about deterioration due to the bio-
logical development of the products or their tendency to
perish; whereas, therefore, account should be taken of such
deterioration when applying the standards at the marketing
stages following dispatch; whereas, since the products in
the ‘Extra’ class have to be particularly carefully sorted
and packaged, only lack of freshness or turegescence is to
be taken into into account only in their case;
Whereas in the interest of clarity and certainty as to legal
requirements for ease of use the standards thus changed
should be consilidated (SIC! consolidated) in a single text;
(1) OJ No L 118, 20. 5. 1972, p. 1.
(2) OJ No L 119, 8. 5. 1986, p. 46.
(3) OJ No 56, 7. 7. 1962, p. 1606/62.
(4) OJ No 55, 3. 4. 1965, p. 793/65.
(5) OJ No L 96, 10. 4. 1976, p. 28.
(6) OJ No L 157, 28. 6. 1969, p. 1.
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IIWhereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are
in accordance with the opinion of the Management Com-
mittee for Fruit and Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
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1Article 1
The quality standards for cherries falling within subheading
08.07 C of the Common Customs T ariff and for straw-
berries falling within subheading 08.08 A of the Common
Customs T ariff are set in Annexes I and II hereto.
These standards shall apply at all marketing stages, under
the conditions laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72.
However, at the stages following dispatch the products may
s h o w ,i nr e l a t i o nt ot h e standards prescribed,
— a slight lack of freshness and turgescence,
— for the products graded in the classes other than the
‘Extra’ class, slight alternation due to their develop-
ment and their tendency to perish.
Article 2
Regulation No 58 is hereby amended as follows:
— in Article 1, ‘cherries’ and ‘strawberries’ shall be de-
leted,
— Annexes I/8 and I/9, specifying the quality standards
for cherries and strawberries respectively, shall be de-
leted.
Article 3
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1194/69 is hereby amended
as follows:
— in Article I, ‘cherries’ and ‘strawberries’ shall be de-
leted,
— Annexes IV and V concerning cherries and straw-
berries respectively shall be deleted.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.899/87
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2ANNEX I
QUALITY STANDARD FOR CHERRIES
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to cherries, of varieties (cultivars) derived from Prunus Avium L.,Prunus Cerasus L.,
or hybrids thereof, to the supplied fresh to the consumer, cherries for industrial processing being ex-cluded.
II. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY
The purpose of this standard is to define the quality requirements for cherries, after preparation and
packaging.
A.Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the cherries
must be:
—i n t a c t ,
— fresh in appearance,
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is
excluded,
— firm (according to the variety),
— clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter,— practically free from pests,
— free from abnormal external moisture,
— free of any foreign smell and/or taste,
— with the stem attached (
1).
The cherries 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
Cherries are classified into four classes, defined below:
(i) ‘ Extra’ Class
Cherries in this class must be of superior quality. They must be well developed and have all the
characteristics and the colouring typical of the variety. They must be free from defects apart from
a very slight superficial deterioration of the skin, on condition that this does not affect the qualityand general appearance of the produce or its presentation in the package.
(ii) Class I
Cherries in this class must be of good quality. They must present the characteristics of the variety.
They may, however, have the following defects, provided these do not impair the external appear-
ance of the fruit or its conservation:
— a slight defect in shape,
— a slight defect in colouring.
They must be free of burns, cracks, bruises or defects caused by hail.
(1) Missing stems are allowed in the case of:
— sweet varieties which naturally lose the stem at harvest, on condition that the skin is not damaged;
— sour varieties, on condition that there is no severe leakage of juice.899/8 7 --- C 1 , O J N o
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3(iii) Class II
This class includes cherries which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but which
satisfy the minimum requirements defined above. However, the cherries may have:
— defects in shape and colouring, on condition that they retain the characteristics of variety,— small, healed surface scars, not likely to impair significantly the appearance or conservation
of the fruit.
III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING
Sizing is determined by the maximum diameter of the equatorial section. Cherries must have the following
minimum sizes:
— ‘Extra’ Class: 20 mm,— Classes I and II: 17 mm.
IV . PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCE
T olerances 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 cherries not satisfying the requirements of the class but meeting
those of Class I, or exceptionally, coming within the tolerances for that class, with the exceptionof over-ripe fruit. Within this tolerance, not more than 2 % in total may consist of split and/or
worm-eaten fruit.
(ii) Class I
10 % by number or weight of cherries not satisfying the requirements of the class but meeting
those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances for that class. Within this toler-
ance, not more than 4 % in total may consist of split and/or worm-eaten fruit.
(iii) Class II
10 % by number or weight of cherries satisfying neither the requirements for the class nor the
minimum requirements, excluding fruit affected by rotting or any other deterioration rendering it
unfit for consumption. Within this tolerance, not more than 4 % in total may consist of overripe
and/or split and/or worm-eaten fruit. Not more than 2 % in total may consist of over-ripe fruit.899/8 7 --- C 1 , O J N o
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4B.Size tolerances
(i) ‘Extra’ Class and Classes I and II
10 % by number or weight of cherries not conforming to the minimum sizes specified, provided,
however, that the diameter is not less than:
— 17 mm in the ‘Extra’ Class,
— 15 mm in Classes I and II.
V . PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and consist exclusively of cherries of the same origin,
variety and quality. The fruit must be of uniform size.
In addition, cherries in the ‘Extra’ Class must be of uniform colouring and ripeness.
The visible part of the contents of each package must be representative of the entire contents.
B.Packaging
The cherries must be packed in such a way as to ensure proper protection of the produce.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 anon-toxic ink or glue.
T h ep a c k a g e sm u s tb ef r e ef r o mf o r e i g nm a t t e r .
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
Packer and/or Dispatcher: Name and address or officially issued or accepted code mark. However, in
the case where a code mark is used, the reference ‘packer and/or dispatcher (or equivalent abbrevi-
ations)’ has to be indicated in close connection with the code mark.
B.Nature of produce
— ‘Cherries’, where the contents are not visible from the outside,— Name of the variety (optional) (
1).
C.Origin of produce
Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown or national, regional or local place name.
D.Commercial specifications
Class.
E.Official control mark (optional)
(1) Compulsory for sweet varieties whose stem normally becomes detached at harvesting and for sour varieties presented
without the stem. However, for the latter, the package may bear the word ’sour cherries’.899/8 7 --- C 1 , O J N o
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5ANNEX II
QUALITY STANDARD FOR STRAWBERRIES
I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE
This standard applies to strawberries, fruit of the 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 for strawberries after preparation and
packaging.
A.Minimum requirements
In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the straw-
berries must be:
— intact, undamaged,— with the calyx and a short green unwithered stalk attached (except in the case of wood straw-
berries and subject to the special provisions for
),
— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is
excluded,
— practically free from damage caused by pests or disease,
— clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter,— fresh, but not washed,
— f r e eo fa b n o r m a le x t e r n a lm o i s t u r e ,
— 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 condi-
tion 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
Strawberries are classified into four classes defined below:
(i) ‘ Extra’ Class:
The strawberries in this class must be of superior quality. In colouring and shape they must be
typical of the variety and they must be particularly uniform and regular with respect to degree of
ripeness, colour and size (
1). They must be bright in appearance, taking account of the character-
istics of the variety, and they must be free from soil.
(ii) Class I:
The strawberries in this class must be of good quality. They must present the characteristics of
the variety. They may, however, have the following defects, provided these do not impair the
external appearance of the fruit or its conservation:
— slight defects of shape,
— presence of a small white patch.
They may be less uniform in size. They must be practically free from soil.
(1) These uniformity requirements for the ‘Extra’ Class may be applied a little less strictly in the case of wood strawberries.899/8 7 --- C 1 , O J N o
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6(iii) Class II
This class includes strawberries which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfy
the minimum requirements specified above.
The strawberries may show:
— defects of shape, on condition that they retain the characteristics of the variety,
— a whitish 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
Sizing 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 (except for the Primella and Gariguette varieties): 22 mm; Primella and Gariguette
varieties: 18 mm,
No minimum size is laid down for wood strawberries.
IV . PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES
T olerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package for produce not satisfying the
requirements for the class indicated.
A.Quality tolerances
(i) ‘Extra’ Class
5 % by number or weight of strawberries not satisfying the requirements for the class but meeting
the requirements for Class I, or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances for that class. Ofthese 5 %, not more than 2 % in total may consist of spoilt fruit.
(ii) Class I
10 % by number or by weight of strawberries not satisfying the requirements for the class but
meeting the requirements for Class II, or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances for 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 not satisfying the requirements for the class, nor the
minimum requirements, but excluding fruit affected by rotting, severe bruising or any other deter-iotation rendering it unfit for consumption. Of these 10 %, not more than 2 % in total may
consist of spoilt fruit.
B.Size tolerances
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7V . PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION
A.Uniformity
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only strawberries of the same origin,
variety and quality.
The visible part of the contents of each package must be representative of the entire contents.
B.Packaging
The strawberries must be packed in such a way as to ensure that they are suitably protected.
The materials used inside the package must 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 beating trade specifications is allowed provided that the printing or labelling has been done
with a non-toxic ink or glue.
Fruit in the ‘Extra’ Class must be particularly well presented.
Packages must be free from all foreign matter.
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
Packer and/or Dispatcher: Name and address or officially issued or accepted code mark. However, in
the case where a code mark is used, the reference ‘packer and/or dispatcher (or equivalent abbrevi-
ations)’ has to be indicated in close connection with the code mark.
B.Nature of produce
— ‘Strawberries’, if the contents are not visible from the outside,
— name of the variety (optional, except for the Primella and Gariguette varieties for which this in-
formation is compulsory).
C.Origin of produce
— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national, regional or local place name.
D.Commercial specifications
— Class.
E.Official control mark (optional).899/8 7 --- C 1 , O J N o
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