Edeka tomatoes

Leading German grocer Edeka has introduced a colour-coding system that it says will make it easier for shoppers to decide which tomatoes they should buy.

The new Genuss-Navigator (Enjoyment Navigator) places all tomatoes sold through the retailer into one of three categories: blue for snacking, red for cooking and green for use in salads.

The colours have been incorporated into the products' packaging and also feature on stickers applied to larger varieties.

The move is aimed at making it easier for consumers to find what they are looking for among an increasingly broad and diverse range of products on sale.

The past decade has seen a major trend towards product segmentation within the tomato category, meaning there are now a wider choice of varieties on sale in most European markets.

Edeka has been carrying out sampling campaigns since the start of July in order to educate its customers about the different types of tomato available and the types of cooking and eating to which they are best suited.