Good Old EU Rules Spoil Marmalade

Good Old EU Rules Spoil Marmalade

Ananova - Austrian farmer faces jail over apricot 'marmalade'

An Austrian farmer has been threatened with jail because he sold marmalade made from apricots instead of citrus fruits.

Johann Thiery was also fined after trading standards inspectors found him selling the apricot marmalade which he made using his grandmother's recipe.

According to a European Union ruling, marmalade can contain only citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges. It can't be made out of apricots or other soft fruits. Such produce has to be labelled as jam.
Austria's biggest-selling newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung, has run a campaign to defend the farmer and his apricot marmalade, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Erwin Proell, Lower Austria's governor from the ruling People's Party, criticised EU red tape. 'Brussels should keep their grubby fingers off regional traditions carried out for years,' he said.

An EU spokesman said: 'The law is the law.'