Hush with your facts and things. That an “abnormal” curvature could be sold as Class II but British supermarkets typically wouldn’t buy them is not to be confused with the blind adherence to the urban legend.

I’ll say it again. Bendy bananas are allowed to be sold. The regulations concerned what class they get labelled as.

Ernie – for someone who tries to be politically aware, that is either a) wilful misunderstanding or b) a deeply disingenuous attempt to argue on false premises.

I thought you were better than that.

(…and the bend turns out not to impact the flavour unsurprisingly)

That’s what you would say, Mr so-called Banana Expert Man, and you know what we think of experts around here!

I’ve learned a lot about bananas since I started this thread.

As you’ve seen, it didn’t BAN overly bendy bananas it just required them to be classified differently.

You see, you have deliberately misinterpreted what Commission Regulation (EC) No 2257/94 of 16 September 1994 says. It doesn’t mention “overly bendy bananas” it refers to abnormal curvature.

So an overly straight banana would also fall foul of Commission Regulation No 2257/94.

That’s the problem with the bendy banana issue people don’t know whether it refers to bananas being too curved or bananas being too straight.

And the EU hasn’t provided any guidance on the issue unlike the clear and unambiguous requirement that bananas be at least 14cms long.

Furthermore as pointed out although this regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States there are exceptions for class I bananas (slight abnormal curvature is allowed) and class II bananas (totally abnormal curvature is allowed).

However as the EU Commission has failed to state what constitutes abnormal curvature it is completely impossible to know whether a banana, or more precisely a bunch of bananas, should be classified as extra class, class I, or class II.

How then can this regulation which is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States be applied?

Having said all that, the point is that despite its obvious short comings the EU did indeed have a policy on banana curvature, don’t let some herbert tell you they didn’t.

And more importantly how are we going to manage without the EU telling us what shape and size are bananas should be? Well there be anarchy? Will there be banana class war? Will bearded revolutionaries take our well-shaped generously proportioned bananas?

I’m worried.

Having said all that, the point is that despite its obvious short comings the EU did indeed have a policy on banana curvature, don’t let some herbert tell you they didn’t.

Ah, no. It had a policy on standardising classification of fruit.

That really is a very different aim. You are twisting it to try and bolster a political argument. This is what tabloid papers do. Shame on you.

No need to be, the wise ones will cut a deal on non-eu compliant bananas of which there is a surplus. We’ll get them and other produce cheaper than the member states, maybe compensating for the per person loss of £ to the economy. Before you know it we will be well fed on naturally shaped fruits here in the UK, whereby our euro state counterparts will be restricted to the high price or producing such perfectly regulated fodder.

Call it scraps of you will, but you’ll all be able to use the extra cash for extras charged on Euro-products.

Now, you think I’m joking but anyone whose been to the Caribbean will see how his works – high priced imported goods mean few luxurious motor vehicles but no one gives a fig how round a coconut is, as long as the Rum remains $15bds a litre.

It’s alright, with boris in charge all we have to do is get rid of the royals and we can be a real banana republic.

I can’t believe no one else has said it

Can’t believe I just have.

It had a policy on standardising classification of fruit.

Which means the same thing as “a policy on banana curvature”. Their policy was to, in part, classify bananas based on their curvature, unfortunately the didn’t establish clearly defined standards.

Normal curvature, abnormal curvature, and slightly abnormal curvature, were laid down specific requirements to establish classification of bananas, unfortunately someone in Brussels forgot to find what normal curvature actually meant. Which made compliance to this binding regulation rather difficult.

Although to be fair they might have had someone looking into it, work in progress so to speak.

And as for your outrageous claim that I have twisted Commission Regulation (EC) No 2257/94 of 16 September 1994 to try and bolster a political argument, which is what tabloid papers do, I’ll remind you that on the previous page I provide a direct link to Commission Regulation No 2257/94, so everyone is free to conclude for themselves what Commission Regulation No 2257/94 says.

Btw I notice that Commission Regulation No 2257/94 stipulates that bananas must be a minimum of 14cm in length but why are retailers allowed to call them “fun size” bananas ? Surely no can have any fun with a banana that size. It’s often puzzled me.