Harmonization of national quality standards to European as a mechanism for improving the competitiveness of vegetable products

Abstract

The article has already analyzed the problem of ensuring the competitiveness of vegetable products in the European market. We have already revealed the need to integrate EU quality standards into Ukrainian legislation. It was determined that one of the mechanisms for increasing the competitiveness of vegetable products is the harmonization of national quality standards with European ones. The aim of work - to reveal the existing problems regarding the quality of vegetable products, to justify the need to integrate EU standards into Ukrainian legislation, to give a comparative description of the quality standards of fresh vegetables in Ukraine and the EU. The quality standards for fresh vegetables in Ukraine and the EU countries are now being analyzed in the context of our country's aspiration to join this organization. In Ukraine, the quality of fresh vegetables is established by national standards (DSTU), as well as harmonized with European ones (DSTU UNECE FFV). Presented were the comparative characteristics of the quality requirements for fresh cabbage, carrots and onions. On the basis of the analysis, obvious differences between national standards and those harmonized with European quality standards for vegetables were outlined. Conclusions. Consequently, the harmonization of national quality standards with European ones is one of the mechanisms for increasing the competitiveness of Ukrainian vegetable products in the European market. From the examples given earlier, common and opposite features of the classification of product standards in Ukraine and the EU countries, an analysis of domestic and foreign regulatory and technical documentation for fresh vegetables, it was found that the quality of vegetable products was assessed according to the same organoleptic properties (appearance, shape requirements, dimensions products, color, taste, smell), as well as physicochemical (content of harmful substances), contained requirements for packaging, labeling, transportation and storage, but there were differences in the norms of individual indicators. In addition, the EU marketing standards do not contain storage requirements, as it is mandatory for the manufacturer/seller. Ukrainian standards for fresh white cabbage, carrots and onions set maximum levels for heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, zinc. For EU producers, maximum levels of pollutants have been given in separate EU regulations. Keywords: fresh vegetables, quality, harmonization, marketing standard, national standard, white cabbage, onion, carrots.