Tesco use laser etchings on avocados instead of stickers in move to protect environment

Westfalia Fruit, which supplies avocados to Tesco, said avocados were perfect for the laser trial due to the thickness of the outer skin. They will etch information onto the avocados as directed by a computer, with the process taking a third of a second.

Once the avocados have been zapped, they are left with a tattoo on their skin which provides information for customers and cashiers, including the size or variety of the fruit.

Westfalia Fruit said it had conducted extensive trials to ensure the quality, shelf life and taste of the product is not affected by the laser etchings.

Tesco sells nearly 70m avocados a year and has seen demand for the fruit grow by 15 per cent in the last year. It said it is starting with laser etchings on the extra large avocados.

The chain 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. The trials will take place in about 270 Tesco stores in south-east England and, if the feedback from customers is positive, it will be rolled out across the Tesco estate.

Tesco is working on the trial with Westfalia Fruit, which is based in Spalding, Lincolnshire. It said that if the changes are rolled out across all Tesco stores, it could save more than 20m pieces of plastic tray packaging from the twin pack avocado alone, increasing up to 25 million pieces across the pre-packed range.

Tesco said it could also save nearly a million plastic stickers on its loose extra large avocados, based on information provided by the supplier.

Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Gilbey said: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products, and cut down on plastic waste in the home through changes to our packaging.

“We’re really excited to hear customer feedback on our new laser-etched avocados, avoiding the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left on when recycling through household food waste.”

Westfalia Fruit general manager Graham Isaac said: “We continually seeks ways to improve our environmental performance and operate in a responsible manner, by focusing on priorities such as reducing – and wherever possible, removing – plastic from our packaging to contribute to solving the plastic waste challenge.

“We are confident that, with a clear focus and united effort as an industry, we will be able to significantly reduce our waste, use natural resources responsibly and protect the environment and biodiversity for all our futures.”

The laser-etched avocados have been dispatched to Tesco stores over the last few weeks, and by this weekend will be in all stores taking part in the trial.

In April, it was revealed that Tesco had joined its competitors by launching a “Best of British” page on its website to help customers support local farmers and producers.

The page contains more than 500 British products, including fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, as well as recipes such as a Spring potato salad and apple and berry crumble.

The grocer said it was continuing to provide support in the wake of recent inflationary challenges and difficult weather conditions, and continued to act as a “key partner” in tackling longer-term issues such as climate change and nature loss.

Tesco’s chief commercial officer Ashwin Prasad said: “Supporting British farmers, growers and suppliers remains critical to ensuring we have a robust food industry here in the UK, and we count ourselves as proud champions of British agriculture, striving to source produce from the UK wherever possible.

“Our customers share our love for British produce, and we want to do all we can to make it as easy to find as possible, no matter how they shop with us, so we’re thrilled to be launching our Best of British page on our groceries website, bringing together over 500 hundred quality, affordable British products to choose from.”