Commission Regulation (EC) No 851/2000 of 27 April 2000 laying down the marketing standard for apricots
Date: 2000-04-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: fresh fruit, marketing standard, product quality, quality standard, stone fruit

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 851/2000

of 27 April 2000

laying down the marketing standard for apricots

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 vegetables (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
1257/1999 (2), and in particular Article 2(2) and Article 3(3)
thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Apricots are among the products listed in Annex I to
Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must
be adopted. Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1108/91
laying down quality standards for apricots (3), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 888/97 (4), has been
amended frequently and can no longer ensure legal
clarity.

Regulation (EEC) No 1108/91 should be repealed and
the rules it contains redefined. To that end and in the
interests of preserving transparency on the world
market, account should be taken of the standard for
apricots recommended by the Working Party on Stand-
ardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Develop-
ment of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UN/ECE).

Applying these standards should result in products of
unsatisfactory quality being removed from the market,
bringing production into line with consumer require-
ments and facilitating trade relationships based on fair
competition, thereby helping improve the profitability of
production.

The standards apply to all marketing stages. Long-
distance transport, storage over a certain period and the
various processes which the products undergo may
cause certain alterations owing to the biological develop-
ment of the products or to their relatively persishable
nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration
when applying the standards at the marketing stages
which follow dispatch. Since products in the ‘Extra’ class
must be sorted and packaged with particular care, only
freshness and turgidity is to be taken into
lack of
account in their case.

(5)

Article 3(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 allows for
an exemption from the quality standards where the fruit
or vegetables of a given region are sold by the retail

(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.
(3) OJ L 110, 1.5.1991, p. 67.
(4) OJ L 126, 17.5.1997, p. 11.

size than that

trade of
the region for well-established traditional
consumption. Certain varieties of apricots, produced in
Germany in the Süßer See region, are characterised by a
required by the marketing
smaller
standards. Those apricots are traditionally marketed in
the production region and are the subject of Regulation
(EC) No 1010/98 of 14 May 1998 allowing Germany an
exemption from the quality standards for apricots (5).
For clarification and simplification of the Community
rules, this exemption shall be included in the present
Regulation, and Regulation (EC) No 1010/98 shall be
repealed.

(6)

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 relating to apricots falling within CN
code 0809 10 00 shall be as indicated in the Annex hereto.

This standard shall apply at all marketing stages, under the
conditions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96.

However, at stages following dispatch, the products may show
in relation to the provisions of the standard:

— a slight lack of freshness and turgidity,

— for products graded in classes other than the ‘Extra’ class,
slight deteriorations due to their development and their
tendency to perish.

Article 2

1.
As an exemption from the Annex to the present Regula-
tion, the minimum size of apricots produced in the Süßer See
region may be 5 mm smaller than the minimum size given by
the marketing standard. However, such apricots may only be
marketed in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony.

2.
For the purposes of applying paragraph 1 of the present
Article, each consignment must carry, in addition to the other
required information, the following indication on the docu-
ment or notice as referred to in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC)
No 2200/96: ‘Nur in Sachsen-Anhalt und Sachsen im Einzel-
handel zu verkaufen’.

(5) OJ L 145, 15.5.1998, p. 10.

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Regulations (EEC) No 1108/91 and (EC) No 1010/98 are repealed.

Article 3

Article 4

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that of its publication in the Official
Journal of the European Communities.

It shall apply from the first day of the month following its entry into force.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 27 April 2000.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

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ANNEX

STANDARD FOR APRICOTS

I. DEFINITION OF PRODUCE

This standard applies to apricots of varieties (cultivars) grown from Prunus armeniaca L. to be supplied fresh to the
consumer, apricots for industrial processing being excluded.

II.

PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY

The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements of apricots after preparation and packaging.

A. Minimum requirements

In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, apricots must be:

— intact,

— sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded,

— clean, pratically free of any visible foreign matter,

— practically free from pests,

— practically free from damage caused by pests,

— free of abnormal external moisture,

— free of any foreign smell and/or taste.

The apricots must have been carefully picked.

They must be sufficiently developed and display satisfactory ripeness.

The development and condition of the apricots 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

Apricots are classified in three classes defined below:

(i)

‘ E x t r a ’ c l a s s

Apricots in this class must be of superior quality. In shape, development and colouring they must be characteristic of
the variety, allowing for the district in which the fruit is grown.

They must be free from defects with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these do not affect the
general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.

(ii) C l a s s I

Apricots in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety, allowing for the district in
which the fruit is grown. The flesh must be perfectly sound.

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:

— a slight defect in shape or development,

— a slight defect in colouring,

— slight rubbing,

— slight burning,

— slight skin defects with a limit of 1 cm in length for defects of elongated shape, and 0,5 cm2 of total surface area

for other defects.

(iii) C l a s s I I

This class includes apricots which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes but satisfy the minimum
requirements specified above.

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Skin defects may be allowed provided that the fruit retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the
keeping quality and presentation, subject to the following limits:

— 2 cm in length for defects of elongated shape,

— 1 cm2 of total surface area for all other defects.

III. PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING

Size is determined by maximum diameter of the equatorial section. Sizing is compulsory for classes ‘Extra’ and I.

Class

Minimum diameter
(mm)

Maximum permissible differ-
ence for fruit in the same
package
(mm)

Extra

I and II (sized)

II (not sized)

35

30

30

5

10

—

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)

‘ E x t r a ’ C l a s s

5 % by number or weight of apricots not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class I or,
exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

(ii) C l a s s I

10 % by number or weight of apricots not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class II or,
exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

(iii) C l a s s I I

10 % by number of weight of apricots satisfying neither the requirements of the class nor the minimum requirements,
with the exception of produce affected by rotting, marked bruising or any other deterioration rendering it unfit for
consumption.

B. Size tolerances

For all classes: 10 % by number or weight of apricots deviating from the minimum size or the size stated on the package,
the deviation not exceeding 3 mm above or below.

V. PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION

A. Uniformity

The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only apricots of the same origin, variety, quality, and size (if
sized) and, for ‘Extra’ class, uniform in colour.

The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of the entire contents.

B. Packaging

The apricots 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.

Packages must be free of all foreign matter.

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C. Presentation

The apricots may be presented:

— in small packages,

— arranged in one or more layers separated from each other,

— in bulk in the package, except for the ‘Extra’ class.

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, where a code (symbol) is
used, the words ‘packer and/or dispatcher’ (or an equivalent abbreviation) must appear close to this code (symbol).

B. Nature of produce

— ‘Apricots’,

if the contents are not visible from the outside,

— Name of the variety for classes ‘Extra’ and I.

C. Origin of produce

— Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national, regional or local place name.

D. Commercial specifications

— Class,

— Size (if sized), expressed in minimum and maximum diameter.

E. Official control mark (optional)