Euro Lawmakers Undo Ban on Ugly Fruit

After 20 years of insisting that fruit must adhere to shapes mandated by law, EU bureaucrats have graciously decided that Mother Nature may take her own course again:

Curly cucumbers, crooked carrots and mottled mushrooms — odd-looking fruit and vegetables are making a comeback as 20-year-old EU rules are lifted. Marketing standards for 26 types of produce have been scrapped, in a drive to cut EU bureaucracy. ...

"July 1 marks the return to our shelves of the curved cucumber and the knobbly carrot," said Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel. "We don't need to regulate this sort of thing at EU level. It is far better to leave it to market operators."

The depth of Ms. Fischer Boel's conviction is unknown, however, considering that

The [shape] standards will remain in place for 10 of the most popular types.

Comments

[kevin]

and it about time too.