Waitrose; food waste

About time – well done Waitrose!

Shoppers are already used to knobbly carrots, wonky spuds, bent courgettes and discoloured cauliflowers, as obsession with perfect produce has been elbowed aside in the drive to reduce food waste.

Now a leading UK supermarket is to sell a mixed pack of tomatoes that have either naturally fallen off the vine or are misshapen, as part of its ongoing drive to discard less edible food.

In what is being hailed as a supermarket first, Waitrose is offering shoppers a bulk mixed selection pack of tomatoes, made up of fruit that would not previously have been put on sale. Tomatoes – along with avocados – are among the fresh foods which create the most waste in the food industry.

The 1kg pack of mixed tomatoes is made up of a selection of round, cherry and baby plum tomatoes which have either naturally droppped off the vine or are misshapen. This latest addition to the tomato range follows from similar successful launches by the supermarket, including ‘misshapen’ strawberries and plums along with weather-blemished apples, all introduced in a bid to ensure that as much fruit as possible is available to customers to buy whole. Each tomato pack will vary depending on what is seasonally available, Waitrose said.