Sunions, described as a tearless onion variety developed through long-term breeding work, will return to UK retail in early December. The variety will again be marketed under Waitrose's No. 1 brand.
According to BASF | Nunhems, "Whether it is in the kitchen or around the Monopoly board, nobody wants tears at Christmas," with the company noting the role of onions in seasonal food preparation. The variety was introduced in the UK in 2022 following more than three decades of conventional breeding within BASF's vegetable seeds programme.
The company reports that Sunions differ from standard onions by mellowing and sweetening during storage. Moulton Bulb, a Lincolnshire-based grower and packer handling about 25,000 tonnes of onions and shallots annually and working with other growers to pack around 100,000 tonnes of alliums, carries out the production and quality control process for the retail season.
"Despite four decades in the family business, I still can't cut a regular onion without shedding a tear," said Moulton Bulb director Robert Oldershaw, noting that Sunions saw a reported sales increase of more than 30% last year.
The onions are harvested in July, followed by at least four months of conditioning before release. Quality checks include routine measurement of pyruvic acid levels, described as a biochemical marker of pungency. Oldershaw added: "With Sunions, we also conduct blind tests where panellists cut up various varieties, hold them to their eyes and inhale to see whether they make them cry. We won't release Sunions to retailers until they pass these tests."
Oldershaw stated that the variety aligns with the business's portfolio and also referenced its usage in domestic food preparation: "When cooked, Sunions have a very similar flavour profile to other brown varieties, and that makes them a useful alternative. But my favourite way to eat Sunions is raw – in a salad or in a cheese and onion sandwich. They are beautifully sweet, have that lovely onion flavour without overpowering other ingredients."
BASF | Nunhems noted broader breeding objectives, saying, "Sunions' story is a great example of BASF | Nunhems' work in creating vegetables people love."
Waitrose will label the onions as "tearless onions" at retail.
Source: Retail Times
