Guidelines from FVST about new marketing standards for fruit and vegetables

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (FVST) informs on their website about marketing standards that is applicable since 1 January 2025, the marketing standards for fruit and vegetables have been revised. There are significant changes in several areas.

FVST writes that the marketing standards cover:

• All types of fresh fruit and vegetables. This also applies to fresh fruit and vegetables that are chopped, sliced or similar.

• Several nuts and dried fruits.

Processed fruit and vegetables, e.g. cooked or pickled products, are not covered.

The products can be covered at three levels:

• Special marketing standards, including labelling with country of origin.

• General marketing standards, including labelling with country of origin.

• (Only) labelling with country of origin.

It is quite complicated rules, and FVST has prepared a description of the rules in the guideline document: Marketing standards for fruit and vegetables (2nd edition - April 2025).pdf

Appendix 4 contains an explanation of the rules on origin labelling of composite products. The appendix describes that ingredients covered by the marketing standards, e.g. nuts that are included as ingredients in other foods that are not covered by the marketing standards, do not have to be labelled with origin. For example, the origin of nuts that are included in a muesli does not have to be stated.