Global banana giant Chiquita has begun trials of a new single-portion banana offer based around storage technology.
The new Chiquita To Go offer will see boxes of bananas hit coffee shops around the UK, as a healthy option in a sector largely bereft of fresh produce.
The bananas can be shipped at various temperatures and the boxes of 22 individually barcoded bananas use Stay Fresh technology.
John Manwaring, national account manager for Chiquita, pictured with a box, told freshinfo: “We have been trialling them for nine months and it is taking a while to set up.
“We are targeting coffee shops and sandwich bars. In the past, this would have been too expensive to stock, but with the new technology, the product can stay at an appealing colour stage.”
Once the bananas reach the perfect ready-to-eat colour, they will stay fresh for at least seven days in the sealed box. When the packs, which come in through the Port of Sheerness, are opened, the bananas will achieve three to five days’ shelf life, depending on store conditions.
In a statement, the company said: “Our breakthrough technology allows us to deliver perfect ready-to-eat bananas to our retailers, offering a great healthy snack to consumers, at the same time solving the issues associated with stocking fresh produce for the retailer.
“It allows consumers to enjoy a perfect banana consistently every time, in outlet locations where they may have failed in the past.”
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