Tesco is to stock extra large lemons after heavy rain super-sized the crop.
Excessive winter rain in Spain swelled the crop of Emperor lemons, which are not normally sold in the UK due to their scarcity.
However this year Tesco has worked with suppliers to ensure the citrus fruit are sold in the UK for the first time. Double the size of a regular unwaxed lemon at 250g, the Emperors will appear on British shelves throughout the summer.
'Thanks to our direct relationship we have been able to adapt our specifications and design a new pack to ensure that none of these large lemons go to waste,' said citrus buying manager Ben Rowbotham. 'These lemons are great for juicing, making them perfect for customers and our growers.'
Rowbotham said the move was part of Tesco's commitment to ensuring that no food safe for human consumption will go to waste from its operations by the end of 2017.
'We're increasingly widening our specifications to give customers as much choice in produce as nature provides,' he continued. 'We no longer stipulate stringent specifications to our producers. The Perfectly Imperfect range useswonky fruit and vegetables and offer them to customers to help prevent food waste on farms and in production.
'The range includescucumbers,strawberries, courgettes,pearsand many other popular fruits and vegetables. 68million portions of fruit have been saved from going to waste through our Perfectly Imperfect range.'
