Tesco is attempting to make life easier for consumers struggling to get their recommended intake of fruit and veg with the launch of a ready-to-eat 5 A DAY platter.
Launching in 700 UK stores, the platter will have separate compartments featuring pineapple slices, melon pieces, sugar snap peas, baby plum tomatoes and cucumber.
Grazing snack packs of prepared fruit first went on sale in the UK nearly 20 years ago, but this is believed to be the first time that freshly cut vegetables have been sold in this way.
Prepared fruit is growing in popularity, with shoppers buying 40 per cent more in 2014 than they did four years ago.
Tesco fresh fruit buyer, Alexe Tomalin, said: “Even with the best intentions it’s sometimes hard to remember to eat our 5 A DAY regularly, so this innovation will help our customer’s lead healthier lives.
“Healthy snacking is on the rise and more shoppers each year are picking up prepared snack packs of fruit, especially at lunchtimes.
“The selection inside the pack was chosen not only because they are the UK’s most popular snacking fruit and vegetables, but also because they are some of the ones that are hardest to cut up, especially pineapple and melon.”
According to the NHS almost all fruit and vegetables count towards your 5 A DAY total.
However, to get the full nutritional benefit people need to eat five separate fruit or vegetables, each in 80g amounts.
The Tesco 5 A DAY fruit and vegetable platter contains five 80g portions, costs £3 per pack, complete with a plastic fork.
