Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Tesco lasering avocados with product information in test to ditch stickers

Tesco lasering avocados with product information in test to ditch stickers
Lasered avocados are displayed by Tesco in this handout picture obtained on May 31, 2024. Tesco/Handout via REUTERS
via REUTERS

Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket group, is using lasers to etch product information on some of its avocados to avoid using barcoded stickers, in a trial it says will reduce plastic waste.

The high-powered lasers remove a minute section of the top layer of avocado skin, leaving a tattoo that shows information for customers and cashiers, such as the size or variety of the fruit.


All UK supermarkets are seeking to reduce plastic usage to meet their environmental commitments. Tesco is targeting net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across its operations together with those generated by the products it sells and its supply chains.

Tesco said the avocado initiative was being made jointly with Britain's main supplier - Lincolnshire, central England-based Westfalia Fruit.

Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Gilbey said the move avoids the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left on when recycling household food waste.

The trial is taking place in around 270 Tesco stores in southeast England and if customer feedback is positive will be rolled out across all its shops.

A full roll-out would save nearly a million plastic stickers a year on its loose, extra large avocados.

Tesco is also trialling replacing the plastic tray packaging for two of its most popular avocado lines and moving to a cardboard container that is easier to recycle.

If rolled out that would save over 20 million pieces of plastic tray packaging a year from the twin pack avocado alone.

(Reuters)

More for you

​Pepsico presents Doritos Dinamita in-store activation campaign

Doritos Dinamita in-store activation boost sales

Retailer Bobby Singh

Exclusive: Doritos Dinamita 'eye-catching' in-store activation igniting impulse sales in c-stores

Doritos Dinamita's recent in-store activation campaign has been a huge success for participating convenience stores as the campaign created quite a buzz among shoppers leading to rise in impulse sales, a leading independent retailer has revealed.

PepsiCo recently launched its latest NPD Doritos Dinamita exclusively into the convenience stores. The launch was accompanied by massive in-store activation in convenience stores across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Parfetts to open new depot in Southampton

Parfetts to open new depot.

Parfetts

​Parfetts to expand reach with new depot in Southampton

Employee-owned wholesaler Parfetts has secured its ninth depot in Southampton thus strengthening its national footprint.

The Stockport-based company will open a new 113,000 sq ft depot that will enable it to deliver across the south coast and into Greater London while also serving as cash and carry depot for retailers across the region.

The move will create over 100 new jobs and support the expansion of the symbol groups, which include Go Local, Go Local Extra, The Local, and Shop & Go.

The depot will launch later this year and provide independent retailers across the South with access to a wide range of regular promotions, from weekly manager’s specials to Big Ticket promotions and quarterly showcases.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Bird flu control housing measures intensify

Bird flu control measures intensify

iStock image

Bird flu measures intensify as numbers rise

The government on Wednesday (12) has further expanded bird flu housing measures as case numbers continue to rise nationwide.

The avian flu outbreak continues to spread in the UK, with almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds culled over the past three months while orders are issued in five more English counties to house flocks indoors from Sunday (16).

Keep ReadingShow less
BAT misses revenue forecasts

British American Tobacco Global Headquarters in London

BAT misses revenue forecasts; takes £6bn charge over Canada lawsuit

British American Tobacco reported a £6.2 billion hit from a long-running lawsuit in Canada on Thursday, and warned of "significant" headwinds in Bangladesh and Australia in 2025 after annual revenue missed forecast.

Health risks associated with tobacco and smoking alternatives have been under regulatory scrutiny for several years, and cigarette makers are facing several challenges globally from policy shifts to anti-tobacco activism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nestle annual profit drops
Nestle logos are pictured in the supermarket of Nestle headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland, February 13, 2020
REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo

Nestle annual profit drops; sales exceed forecasts

Nestle posted on Thursday a drop in annual net profit for 2024 but the Swiss food giant's sales were better than expected by analysts.

The group, which makes Nespresso capsules, KitKat chocolate and Purina dog food, said sales fell 1.8 per cent to 91.3 billion Swiss francs (£80.3bn).

Keep ReadingShow less