Requirements for the quality of Russian and imported potatoes reaching the shelves and supplied for processing will become stricter from 1 July 2018. This follows from the new edition of the GOST for root crops, which Izvestia got acquainted with. The definition of "fresh" has also disappeared from the description of the vegetable. The experts are convinced that the changes in the standard will help reduce the number of substandard products in stores.
Requirements for Russian and imported potatoes are being tightened. This is stipulated by the new version of GOST, developed by the research center "Kubanagrostandart". The authors of the document head the technical committee 178 ("Fresh fruits, vegetables and mushrooms") of Rosstandart. The document will be valid on the territory of the EAEU countries from July 1, 2018. Rosstandart adopted new standards in January.
The previous standard is outdated, the federal agency explained to Izvestia. The new GOST introduced requirements for the condition of tubers, which were not there before. In particular, potatoes should be free from greenish color and brown spots caused by exposure to heat. But one minor damage by wireworm is allowed - an agricultural pest that often infects tubers.
In addition, minor mechanical damage is allowed. For example, cuts no more than 4 mm deep that occur during digging. There are also requirements for the size of ware potatoes. It must pass through square holes, their parameters depend on the time of harvest. For early potatoes, the indicator is at least 28x28 mm, maximum - 80x80 mm. For late root crops, the minimum hole size is 35x35 mm, the maximum is 80x80 mm. There are parameters for elongated potatoes. It should pass through the hole 30x30 mm, the upper limit is 75x75 mm.
The new requirements are in line with European food potato standards, according to Kubanagrostandart.
- This is a very important point, since potatoes are also brought to Russia from abroad. In particular, from Egypt and China. And imported products upon arrival in our country are also checked for compliance with GOSTs, ”explained in“ Kubanagrostandart ”.
About 2017% of foreign potatoes were supplied from Egypt and China in 50. In general, imports amounted to 800 thousand tons. This is almost three times more than a year earlier, according to the data of the Federal Customs Service. The reason for the increase in supplies is the late harvest of vegetables last year due to bad weather, the Fruit and Vegetable Union explained.
The name of GOST has also changed. If in the previous edition it sounded like "Fresh food potatoes", then the word "fresh" disappeared from the new version. But, as the developers explained to Izvestia, this does not mean that a spoiled product will end up on the shelves. After all, the word "food" remains, which a priori means "fresh".
Roskachestvo noted that updating GOST for potatoes is an important step towards improving the quality of products sold on the market. Vegetable growers agree - stricter requirements will reduce the number of substandard potatoes on Russian shelves.
- We can often see the green tubers or, conversely, already stale. In addition, in the winter and early spring, potatoes are delivered to the stores, which are frozen in the vegetable stores. Quality requirements are often violated by import suppliers. The adopted new standard will not allow this, ”Kirill Lashin, head of the analytical department of the Fruit and Vegetable Union, explained to Izvestia.
According to Rospotrebnadzor, about 80% of the total amount of vegetable products withdrawn from sales in 2017 due to quality violations falls on imports. Rospotrebnadzor did not provide data on potatoes at Izvestia's request.
The updated GOST increases the requirements for potatoes supplied to counters and processing plants. This is especially important in connection with the fact that Russians began to consume more of this product. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2017 the figure was 112,6 kg per year. In 10 years, it has grown by 4,6 kg and may continue to increase in the coming years.
Source: https://iz.ru