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The impact of cosmetic quality standards on food losses in the Flemish fruit and vegetable sector

Cosmetic quality standards for fruits and vegetables are specific requirements with regard to colour, shape and size which harvested products have to meet after preparation and packaging. Today, knowledge on concrete cosmetic quality standards and the quantitative consequences on the sales of products are rather limited. To clarify this issue, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has taken the initiative, together with the fresh supply chain, to draw up an analysis of the impact of cosmetic quality standards on food losses and valorisation. The focus of this report is on the Flemish fruit and vegetable sector. In the first place, an analysis was made of the existing cosmetic quality standards and their impact, at both European and at global level. This was done on the basis of a literature study. By means of interviews with a number of important stakeholders, the Flemish context was identified. The results were used to conduct a survey with Flemish horticulturists in order to obtain a better view on the scale of the problem and how producers deal with it.
Publicatiedatum
September 2017
Publicatietype
Rapport
Thema's
Voeding