British retailer Tesco has announced that it will sell 'green' lemons to help customers facing a UK shortage, and to cut down on food waste.
The retailer said that despite the skin being slightly green, the fruit is still as ‘crisp and zesty’ as it is when it completely turns yellow.
The move will help offset food waste in the home by adding up to an extra two days' shelf life to the fruit as it turns yellow.
Poor Harvest
There has been a significant drop in end-of-season production of lemons in Spain, which is where the UK gets the bulk of its lemons until the end of spring, when it sources the fruit from South Africa.
The retailer will now take the South African green lemons earlier than usual to keep supplies stocked.
“These greener lemons that we now have on sale are already mature and perfect-tasting inside, but need longer for the skin to turn yellow,” said Tesco citrus-fruit buyer Savia Weidinger.
“With the South African crop, that happens towards the end of June, as evenings cool, which helps the fruit to colour up. The move not only means that shoppers will again be easily able to buy a fruit that is growing in popularity, but they will gain extra freshness,” added Weidinger.
The new green lemons will be available in 800 Tesco stores across the UK.
Last month, Tesco announced that it was launching an exclusive range of cold-pressed juices, Waste NOT, made from 'wonky' fruit and vegetables, which might otherwise go to waste.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
