Vol. 505 No. 3
50 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself with the quality of fruit and vegetables being presented for sale at retail outlets; and if he has further satisfied himself that he has sufficient staff available to check the quality of this produce. [13639/99]
Officers of my Department authorised under the European Communities (Fruit and Vegetable ) Regulations, 1997, carry out about 4,500 inspections annually, about 2,500 of which are at retail level. I am satisfied with general staffing levels for this purpose.
While there is some room for improvement in the labelling of produce, the incidence of defects in intrinsic quality is now at a very low level considering the perishable nature, variety, range and origin of the of produce on offer.
