Morrisons has followed Tesco’s lead in launching a range of wonky British apples to help growers sell fruit superficially damaged by this year’s spring frosts.
In a move that will support producers and help reduce food waste, Morrisons will be selling blemished apples that have otherwise been wasted as part of its ‘wonky’ packs.
The decision follows a similar initiative from Tesco in September, when the retailer decided to temporarily adjust its crop specifications and sell British apples blemished by frosts that hit British growers in April.
This season millions of British apples have been affected by the adverse weather conditions, leaving a brown ring known as “frost eye” around some.
Unusually low temperatures, which dropped to -4°C at the end of April in parts of Britain, caused some apples to develop marks on their skin, but Morrisons stressed this has not affected eating quality.
The cold weather also reduced some growers’ yields, prompting the supermarket to help growers sell as much of their crop as possible.
Morrisons apple buyer Mark Booth said: “We want to see good fruit eaten.Whenever bad weather damages fruit we’ll work with our growers to help them make the most of their crops.
“Our wonky apples might be a little ugly, but they will taste great.”
The supermarket’s wonky range, launched in 2015, now includes cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, peppers, swede, apples, pears, sprouts, asparagus and leeks.
Morrisons said it sells more than 500 tonnes of wonky veg to 500,000 customers a week.
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