Tesco has added pears into its Perfectly Imperfect wonky produce tier and is poised to launch a new Rosedene Farm Pears range in its latest move to buy more of a crop.
The retailer said it will now buy a further 200 tonnes of pears a year by creating a bag of previously rejected smaller, or misshapen, pears. Smaller-sized pears will be launched under the farm brands range.
“By adapting our specifications to embrace the ‘wonky’ ones, we’re now able to take a further 200 tonnes of pears a year that might otherwise have gone to waste,” Tesco topfruit specialist John Worth wrote in a blog.
“By using smaller or misshapen pears we've created a bag of pears using previously rejected fruit. They taste great, and are great value – they might just look a bit ugly.”
As the English topfruit season gears up, Tesco said it has also seen success with its Perfectly Imperfect apples, with 3,000 extra tonnes now being eaten as a result.
Worth said Tesco now takes 97 per cent of apples from Tesco-dedicated growers, with the other three per cent going for juicing.
“This enables more of our growers to get a premium price for their produce, and helps reduce food waste. It’s a win-win situation for all,” he added.
The news follows a new deal between topfruit supplier Avalon Produce and prepared firm Simply Fruit, to use outsized apples in snack packs.
“As long as the fruit delivers the quality that our customers are asking for, I can now be flexible on size and shape. It’s all about being in the fields, tasting, talking and monitoring,” Worth said.
No comments yet