Tesco has announced it is trialling the scrapping of barcode stickers currently on extra-large avocados and replacing them with laser etching.
The high-powered lasers remove a minute section of the top layer of avocado skin, etching size information on the fruit as directed by a computer program.
In a third of a second, the process leaves what the retailer describes as similar to a tattoo to show information for customers and cashiers, including the size or variety of the fruit.
The trials will take place in around 270 Tesco stores in south-east England and will be rolled out more widely if feedback from customers is positive.
It could save nearly a million plastic stickers on loose extra-large avocados.
Westfalia Fruit is the supplier behind the new laser-etching technology and has conducted extensive trials to ensure the quality, shelf life and taste of the fruit is not affected.
“Westfalia Fruit continually seeks ways to improve our environmental performance and operate in a responsible manner, by focusing on priorities such as reducing and wherever possible, removing plastic from our packaging to contribute to solving the plastic waste challenge,” said Graham Isaac, Westfalia Fruit general manager.
“We are confident that, with a clear focus and untied effort as an industry, we will be able to significantly reduce our waste, use natural resources responsibly and protect the environment and biodiversity for all our futures,” he added.
This trial comes at the same time as a trial to replace the plastic tray packaging for two of its most popular avocado lines and moving to a cardboard container that is easier to recycle.
If rolled out across all stores could save more than 20 million pieces of plastic tray packaging from the twin-pack avocado alone, increasing up to 25 million pieces across the pre-packed range.
Tesco sells nearly 70 million avocados a year and has seen demand for the fruit grow by 15% in the past year.
“We’re always looking for innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products, and cut down on plastic waste in the home through changes to our packaging,” said Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Gilbey.
“We’re really excited to hear customer feedback on our new laser-etched avocados, avoiding the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left on when recycling through household food waste,” she added.
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