Most of the bell peppers were red or yellow. What was interesting was their shape. From the top they were ribbed, comparable to a ribbed tomato. I did not see any damages or contamination.
The quality of eggplants from Almeria was superior. Sturdy and black and the calyx was flawless. The quality of Cucumbers varied, with the larger sizes having a bit of a yellowish tint and the smaller sizes being the color of green grass. Tomatoes from the Netherlands included from very large vine tomatoes to very small vine tomatoes. The large vine tomatoes were undoubtedly from the autumn harvest. From the continued cultivation I saw smaller tomatoes, but the truss here was not as nice. If the lower quality truss is compensated by a better taste then I am fine with it. In the weeks before Christmas the quality of Brussels sprouts is good. Brussels sprouts with a nice green color and no greyness were packed into deluxe packaging with recipes printed on them. It looked very nice. I also saw a lot of greenhouse lettuce sent back by a supermarket because it was not fresh. If this is the marker for what is and is not accepted by the supermarket, then the bar is set very high. The only thing that gave this lettuce a less attractive appearance was a red discoloration on one part of the lettuce. I would not have rejected them!
Peter Damen
Quality Specialist KCB (Quality Control Bureau)
Quality Specialist KCB (Quality Control Bureau)