Australian supermarket giant Coles, previously aimed to stock only yellow bananas, but now the retailer is offering a bigger mix of unripened bananas to shoppers worried about the fruit spoiling too fast, reports the dailytelegraph.com.au.
The shift to a “green to gold” ripeness range in all stores follows a survey of almost 800 customers that found 70 per cent wanted to be able to buy both unripe and ripe bananas.
Depending on storage methods, green bananas can last up to a week at home.
Storing in warm conditions, a paper bag, or with other fruit, such as apples, pears, stone fruit and avocados, will make them ripen faster and shorten the shelf-life of already-ripe bananas.
Coles fresh produce business category manager Daniel Williams said: “We know customers love bananas, but they don’t like them when they get too soft, so they want to buy fruit that will be at its perfect level of ripeness later in the week.
“Customers have been very positive, especially elderly shoppers, who may find it difficult to go shopping more than once a week.”
The Australian Banana Growers Council says more than five million bananas are eaten each day.
Source: dailytelegraph.com.au
