The pineapple is in for a haircut — at one big supermarket chain at least. Sainsbury’s has announced that it will start selling a crownless version of the tropical fruit from today to cut waste by up to 700 tonnes a year.
Crownless pineapples are the same as traditional ones but with the green leaves that grow from the top removed. They will be ready to eat with no need for customers to ripen them at home.
Sainsbury’s said the crown of a pineapple was typically thrown away by customers so removing it during the production process would help to lower food-related waste.
Removed crowns will either be replanted in the pineapple fields or shredded and given to local farmers to be used for animal feed. By removing the crown, the supermarket can fit more of the product into each box it ships to stores, resulting in a reduction of 2,500 boxes transported each year. Sainsbury’s is also removing all packaging previously attached to the standard size pineapple, further reducing waste.
However, the retailer will continue to sell a large pineapple with its leaves attached to “offer customers choice”. Claire Hughes, the director of product and innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’re passionate about reducing our impact on the planet wherever we can, and we’re always looking for new and unique ways to make bold changes with sustainability in mind. Our new crownless pineapples may look a little out of the ordinary but they offer clear benefits in reducing waste and packaging.
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“We hope that our customers will embrace the change with the knowledge that this quirky fruit is helping us to repurpose waste within our supply chain, as well as helping to reduce waste in their homes too.”
The move is part of a campaign by the supermarket chain to tackle food waste. Last month, the store announced that it was switching to best-before dates across its own-brand milk range, a change that will apply to more than 730 million pints sold each year.
The UK consumes more than 30 million pineapples every year. Sainsbury’s said it will be the only big supermarket chain to sell crownless pineapples.
