Ministerial Decree approving the Manual on procedures for checks on conformity to the marketing standards applicable to fresh fruit and vegetables as per article 9, paragraph 1 of Ministerial Decree implementing Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1148/2001 of 12 June 2001.

With a view to harmonizing the checks and controls on fresh fruit and vegetables, the elaboration and approval of a manual is envisaged by article 9 (1) of Ministerial Decree of 28 December 2001. The present Decree has been adopted to lay down the manual, which deals in detail with the organisms which shall be in charge of check operations, the products which are to be subject to the checks, operators, execution of checks, information to be submitted to the control organisms, database on traders in fresh fruit and vegetables. In particular, the checks shall be carried out on (i) products placed within the internal market of the European Community and intended for human consumption, (ii) products intended for human consumption and exported to third countries, (iii) products originating in third countries, and (iv) products coming from or exported to third countries and destined to industrial processing.