72nd UNECE Specialized Session on Fruit and Vegetables: new standards and nomenclatures in progress

72nd UNECE Specialized Session on Fruit and Vegetables: new standards and nomenclatures in progress

As part of its FFM+ programme, COLEAD participated in the 72nd Specialised Session on Fruit and Vegetables of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which took place from 6 to 8 May at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The event brought together some thirty delegations representing national inspection authorities, professional organisations (such as Union Fleurs and COLEAD) and international institutions such as ITC/UNCTAD, ISO, FAO and OECD.

The decisions taken at this meeting will be submitted for approval to the Working Party of the Committee for Agricultural Products in November. The adopted standards will then be published on the UNECE website and officially applied.

Among the highlights, the new standard for sweet potatoes, to which COLEAD contributed through a working group of exporting and importing members, was slightly modified in terms of sizing, minimum size and uniformity of size for categories 1 and 2. After a one-year recommendation period, this standard will be proposed for final adoption in November next year.

Other vegetable standards are also being revised, particularly with regard to tolerances for defects and size uniformity, with the aim of reducing agricultural losses and food waste. Carrots have been selected as a pilot product to study the feasibility of an in-depth revision in this respect.

The meeting also examined a possible revision of the standards for flowers, which were established in 1986 and revised in 1994. Union Fleurs presented the evolution of the world market for cut flowers, the new varieties being traded and their origins. Although the UNECE standards serve as a contractual basis, supplemented by the private standards of the VBN (Dutch Flower Auction Association), the trade currently sees no need to revise the existing standards.

Finally, FAO’s Trade and Markets Department presented the process of modifying customs nomenclatures in line with the International Harmonised System. Based on surveys of national statistical offices in 190 countries and an analysis of significant product volumes, FAO has submitted a request to the World Customs Organisation for changes to create new nomenclatures for certain tropical products. These changes, which concern codes 0804.50 (mangoes, mangosteens, guavas) and 0810.90 (lychees, longans, pitahaya, pomegranates, passion fruit), will enter into force on 1 January 2028.

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS