A small group of Euro-MPs, who sought the reinstatement of standards for the shape of fruits and vegetables available in the Eurozone, have had their appeal quashed. The EU ruled to abolish its standardization of fresh produce in 2008, since it led to the needless waste of tons of fruit and vegetables, which were unsellable due to their distorted shapes. While a number of MPs are dissatisfied with the ruling, the persnickity law will not be reintroduced. The following misshapen foods are available now in a store near you: apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines (eggplant), avocadoes, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes (zucchini), cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, shelled hazelnuts, heads of cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, celery, spinach, shelled walnuts, watermelons and chicory. However, the following foods still follow standardization laws under EU protocols: apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, heads of lettuce, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes.

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Fifa, the international governing body of football (soccer), has won a case against South African low-cost airline Kulula, which Fifa accused of ambush marketing. Kulula, which has not paid money to Fifa to become an official sponsor of this year’s football World Cup in South Africa, created a cheeky ad campaign, identifying itself as the “Unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What.” Kalula is now banned from using the words “South Africa” in its ads. Nor can the airline depict images of footballs, stadiums or the South African flag in its campaigns.

Having a marketing presence at a huge international event, such as the World Cup, is very lucrative. However, Kulula is not the first company to garner marketing attention through unofficial channels. In 2006, Heineken handed out traditional orange lederhosen to thousands of patriotic Dutch fans in attendance at the World Cup. The trousers brandished the logo of Bavaria, one of Heineken’s top-selling brands. TV images of fans with the lederhosen were beamed around the world, attracting masses of attention for the brand. Fifa was not amused. It demanded that all fans wearing the lederhosen remove their trousers before entering the stadium.

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Monday March 29, 2010 is World Water Day, which aims to raise awareness about the global crisis of depleting water supplies. “While the world is rightly moving to address the challenges presented by climate change and depleting supplies of fossil fuels, the same awareness and consensus does not exist when it comes to addressing our usage of water. Yet, the harsh fact is that we will probably run out of water long before we run out of fuel,” says Peter Brabeck-Letmanthe, chairman of Nestlé.  Supplies of fresh, clean water are vanishing quickly. The 2030 Water Resources Group estimates that by 2030, 30% of the world’s population will have access to only half of the water it needs. Agriculture consumes a whopping 70% of total water usage, while industry accounts for 16%. World Water Day endeavors to highlight ways people can conserve water.

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Aqua Shock