They taste exactly the same as the fruit you’re used to – they’re just not orange. Would you put them in your shopping basket?
Tesco has started selling green satsumas, having relaxed some of its quality specifications in a bid to cut down on food waste. Green clementines will also be hitting the supermarket’s shelves in time for Christmas.
Although the fruit look distinctly like slightly squashed limes on the outside, the flesh inside is orange, ripe and, Tesco insists, perfectly edible.
The reason for the unusual-coloured skins is that warmer autumnal weather in Spain, where the fruit grows, has delayed the natural process by which the fruit turns orange.
To meet the quality specifications set by UK supermarkets, farmers often accelerate the ripening process of the fruit by placing them in a special room. However, this extra handling can lead to an increase in waste.
By cutting out this handling stage and being the first UK supermarket to sell the fruit with green skins, Tesco claims it will slash waste. It also says the fruit will be ultimately fresher and its shelf life will be prolonged by up to two days.
The green satsumas come in a 600g net bag and are being sold at exactly the same price – £1 – as conventional orange ones.
Wonky veg
Of course, supermarkets selling wonky, misshapen or ‘ugly’ fruit and veg is nothing new.
Faced with criticisms that they were contributing to the UK food waste mountain by sticking too rigidly to quality specifications and routinely rejecting such items, many supermarkets now sell wonky veg at discounted prices.
But I’m wondering if other supermarkets should follow Tesco’s lead and sell ‘ugly’ fruit and veg as part of their main lines at full price?
Shopping in one of Sardinia’s major supermarkets the other weekend, I saw all manner of misshapen fruit and veg for sale.
What was most refreshing is that they weren’t discounted. No, these funny-shaped types were all mixed in with their more perfectly formed counterparts – and no one seemed to be duly fussing about what ones they picked to buy either.
Perhaps if UK supermarkets took a similar stance, shoppers would be less conditioned to only buying perfectly formed fruit and veg. Surely this would cut waste and be fairer on the farmers?
I, for one, will give the green oranges (or, more specifically, satsumas and clementines) a go. Will you?
Would you buy green satsumas and clementines?
Yes, they taste exactly the same as orange ones (66%, 335 Votes)
No, I’ll stick to the orange ones, thank you very much (34%, 175 Votes)
Total Voters: 510
Loading ...Have you tried green satsumas or clementines yet? What did they taste like? Should more supermarkets sell ‘imperfect’ fruit as part of their main lines rather than discounting it?
