Asda has begun mixing class one and class two strawberries in the same punnet in a trial aimed at testing what consumers will accept, the Telegraph has reported.
Mixed punnets have been slightly reduced in price during the trial, which has been running for several months and has been deemed a success, the paper said.
Class one fruit has a perfect shape with less than 10 per cent surface bruising, while class two fruit has an irregular shape with more bruising, and is typically listed in ‘basics’ or ‘wonky’ ranges, Asda said.
This is the first time it has mixed the two classes into a ‘class one’ punnet, the retailer said, claiming that shoppers haven’t noticed the difference.
'For other lines where class 2 is being included, Asda is using the work started three years ago on wonky produce to learn about what customers will accept in terms of visual appearance on produce and as such, has changed a number of specifications to allow growers to utilise more of their crops and reduce waste in the supply chain,” a spokesman told the Telegraph.
Asda has plans to expand the trial to other lines and sell more ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables as standard, the paper reported.
