• Food Food

Major grocery chain announces game-changing new option for customers buying bananas: 'Never been more popular'

"We hope that by offering customers an added longer shelf-life option it will allow them to buy accordingly."

"We hope that by offering customers an added longer shelf-life option it will allow them to buy accordingly."

Photo Credit: iStock

British supermarket chain Tesco has launched a new initiative aimed at minimizing food waste, according to Glasgow Live.

Specially marked bananas will be sold greener than they had been previously in an attempt to encourage shoppers to let them ripen at home.

The hope is that this will lead to fewer bananas spoiling before shoppers have a chance to eat them.

Data suggests the United Kingdom wastes 1 million bananas every day, largely due to their immense popularity.

"Bananas have never been more popular on account of their nutritional qualities and versatility in cooking, baking and in making smoothies and milkshakes," said Tesco's Dan Bentley. "In the last year we have seen demand soar with nearly 15 million more sold than the previous year."

When food goes to landfill, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that exacerbates increasingly destructive weather patterns. These can include droughts and floods, which disrupt agriculture globally and, in turn, raise grocery prices.

FROM OUR PARTNER

Support pets in need with these special-edition memory foam shoes

BOBS from Skechers has helped over 2 million shelter pets around the world — and the charity program just announced this year’s Paws for a Cause design-winning sneakers.

These "hound huggers" and "kitten kicks" sneakers are machine washable and equipped with memory foam insoles. Plus, they were designed by passionate students who were inspired by their very own rescue pets.

BOBS from Skechers is also committed to donating half a million dollars to the Best Friends Animal Society this year to help every dog and cat experience the safety and support of a loving home.

The heat captured by methane also contributes to melting polar ice caps, which raises sea levels and threatens coastal communities.

Diverting food waste to composting at home is a great solution when all else fails. Food comprises roughly 24% of waste that goes to landfills in America. That organic matter would be much better suited to improving soil health and reducing methane pollution through composting.

Tesco has a multifaceted approach to tackling sustainability issues, ranging from offering discounts on older baked goods to using recycled plastic in packaging and laser-etching avocados. Tesco's recent adjustment for bananas should add four days to their shelf life.

"We know that bananas can ripen quickly so we hope that by offering customers an added longer shelf-life option it will allow them to buy accordingly for the week ahead and hopefully help them cut down on wastage at home," said Bentley.

What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste?

Not buying food I don't need 🧐

Freezing my food before it goes bad 🧊

Using my leftovers more effectively 🍲

Composting my food scraps 🌱

Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.


Cool Divider