Premium retailer Waitrose has launched a new range of sushi made with fruit instead of seafood, dubbing it ‘frushi’ and hailing it as a retail first.
Sold in packs of four, the two frushi flavours launched so far are melon, pineapple and mango, and mint, mango couli and blueberry, wrapped in sushi rice and coated with toasted desiccated coconut, with all produce grown on Waitrose Foundation farms. The new product is available in 270 Waitrose stores for £2.35.
Frushi already exists in the US, Waitrose said, where it has been gaining popularity. It is now gathering interest in the UK with foodies posting photos on Instagram and Pinterest.
Sales of pre-packed sushi at Waitrose are up 10 per cent year-on-year and the retailer said frushi is a ‘natural evolution’ of the Japanese trend. Last year Waitrose said it became the first supermarket to offer sushi counters in selected branches.
Shaun Birrell, sushi buyer at Waitrose said: “Frushi is a delicious on-the-go snack, a great substitute for dessert or can even be enjoyed for breakfast. And for those who fear that it might be accompanied with soy sauce or wasabi, fear not there’s not a drop in sight.”
