British apple growers hurt by recent frosts will get much needed relief as Tesco has announced that it will be relaxing its 'blemish-free' rules.
Growers faced the prospect of having to throw away apples from this autumn’s crop after an unseasonal frost caused unsightly blemishes on otherwise perfectly good fruit. The Bramley cooking apple crop has been particularly badly hit.
Growers said Tesco's move will mean that a variety of apples, including an estimated 300 tonnes of Bramleys, could now be sold by supermarkets.
John Worth, Tesco’s apple spokesman, said:
“We’re working with our apple growers to use as much of the crop and prevent perfectly good fruit from going to waste. We work with our growers wherever we can and although some apples might be smaller or blemished, they will have the same great taste our customers expect.”
He said the slightly blemished apples would be sold as part of Tesco’s standard range, while more blemished fruit will be sold under its Perfectly Imperfect “wonky” fruit and vegetable branding.
Source: theguardian.com
