TESCO is trialling a major “ground-breaking” change to one of its popular and “trendy” food items.
Five of its stores in the UK will be testing the change which can help customers when shopping.
Tesco is trialling out a new fruit scanner at five of its stores in the UK[/caption]
Shoppers can use them to assess the ripeness of an avocado before purchase[/caption]
New scanners are being introduced to Tesco stores which can assess the ripeness of fruit in stores.
The OneThird Avocado Scanners, which can find out if chosen avocados can be best used for slicing into a salad or smashed onto some toast.
Named after the Dutch company that invented them, the scanner can assess the ripeness of avocados in just seconds.
Tesco stores including Cheshunt Extra and Colchester Superstore in Essex, Stratford-upon-Avon Superstore in Warwickshire, Wokingham Superstore in Berkshire, and Salisbury Extra in Wiltshire will be trialling the machinery.
They hope to help in cutting down on household waste, with avocados that often go to get unused due to being overripe.
Infrared technology is used to read exactly what the fruit looks like on the inside.
Shoppers just need to hold the avocado in front of the scanner, which will carry out a reading.
There are two settings on the scanner, which will indicate if an avocado is immediately ready for smashing or whether it would be better used sliced.
Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Lawrence said: “The scanner will enable shoppers to choose the avocado that is right for them and which therefore can help them plan their usage and desired shelf life, thereby cutting down on waste.
“It encourages shoppers to check ripeness without squeezing, helping protect avocados on shelf from damage, reducing waste, and keeping produce fresher in store.”
Avocados have seen a particular growth in popularity in the last year, with supermarkets selling nearly 15 million m ore of the fruit than they did in the previous one.
Trends have also been seen in people eating smashed avocado on sourdough for breakfast or as a snack throughout the day.
Lisa added: “Smashed avocado on sourdough continues to be one of the trendiest snacks at the moment, with recipes ideas garnering millions of views on social media sites, so we think the scanner will be really popular with shoppers.”
Tesco has been working with global avocado supplier and experts based in Lincolnshire, Westfalia Fruit, which have helped bring the project to life.
Westfalia Fruit’s head of retail, Tom Kearns, said: “Launching the One Third Avocado Scanner with Tesco is an exciting innovation that not only aligns with long-term sustainability goals but also enhances the shoppers’ experience – helping customers choose the perfect avocado ripeness for their needs, whether that’s ready to slice or smash.
“The One Third Avocado Scanner is just one of many initiatives we’ve worked on over the past year, from trialing lasered barcodes on Avocados that removes the plastic label from Tesco’s Loose Avocado lines, to rolling out cardboard and paper packaging across all of Tesco’s Avocado Pre-packed lines, saving 20 million pieces of plastic a year.”