Commission Regulation (EEC) No 778/83 of 30 March 1983 laying down quality standards for tomatoes

COMMISSION  REGULATION (EEC) No 778/83
of 30 March 1983
laying down quality standards for tomatoes
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 vegetables (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1738/82 (2), and in particular Article 2 (3) thereof,
Whereas the quality standards for tomatoes are laid down in Annex II/2 of Regulation No 23 (3); whereas those standards were amended by Regulation No 190/67/EEC (4);
Whereas a change has occurred in the production and marketing of tomatoes, particularly as regards the requirements of consumer and wholesale markets; whereas the common quality standards for tomatoes as laid down by Regulation No 23 should therefore be changed to take those new requirements into account;
Whereas such changes entail alteration of the definition of the supplementary quality class as laid down by Council Regulation No 211/66/EEC (5); whereas account should be taken, in defining that class, of the economic importance 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 biological 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 turgescence is to be taken 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 consolidated in a single text;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fruit and Vegeables,