Asda is to zest up to Fairtrade Fortnight by being the first retailer to bring Fairtrade limes from Brazil to the supermarket shelves.
The UK number-two supermarket, which sells twice as much Fairtrade cirus as other UK retailers, introduced the Fairtrade variety to give customers more choice and to enable the brand to benefit from the increasing status enjoyed by the lime category.
The popularity of limes is growing in the UK, with consumers preferring them to lemons for cookery ingredients and for serving with drinks.
Asda chef Neil Nugent said: “Fairtrade limes are the slice to have with your ice, and we’re now selling nearly 25,000 Fairtrade limes a week.
“The lime has a sharper, sweeter flavour plus, with the increasing popularity of cooking from scratch and experimenting with Far Eastern and fish dishes, many customers prefer a squeeze of lime, or a pinch of green zest to the mellow yellow lemon.”
Asda has seen a 35 per cent increase in Fairtrade sales year on year.
The Fairtrade lime is part of a wide selection of luscious Fairtrade fruit available at Asda, which includes bananas from the Windward Islands, oranges from Egypt, and mangos from Peru.
The Fairtrade lily will also join Fairtrade roses from Kenya on the shelves at Asda.
Cathryn Ramsden, Asda Fairtrade manager, said: “Ever since we sold our first Fairtrade banana 10 years ago, Asda has been a strong supporter of Fairtrade, which ensures workers and farmers are paid a fair price for their produce.
“Asda customers are great supporters of Fairtrade too, in fact we sell twice as many Fairtrade citrus fruits than any other major supermarket."
Fairtrade projects supported by Asda and its shoppers include turning a hut with a leaky roof into a brand new school near the Ghanaian village of Awutu, and a subsidised bike scheme for workers.
