Tesco to use laser engraving on avocados instead of stickers

Tesco will use lasers to draw barcodes on some of its avocados, rather than stickers, in a trial designed to help the environment. High powered lasers will remove a tiny section of the top layer of very large avocado skin.

Westfalia Fruit, which supplies avocados to Tesco, said the avocado was perfect for the laser trial because of the thickness of the bright green fruit’s outer skin. They will engrave the size information on the avocado according to the instructions of a computer program, the process taking a third of a second.

Once the avocados have been pitted, they are essentially left with a tattoo on their skin that displays information for customers and cashiers, including the size or variety of the fruit. Westfalia Fruit said it carried out extensive testing to ensure the quality, shelf life and taste of the popular salad item are not affected by the laser engravings.

Tesco sells nearly 70 million avocados a year and has seen demand for the fruit grow by 15% in the past year. It was said to start with laser engravings on very large avocados, as they provide the most visual impact.

The chain is also trying to replace the plastic tray packaging for two of its most popular avocado lines and move to a cardboard container that is easier to recycle. The trials will take place in around 270 Tesco stores in the South East of England and – if customer feedback is positive – will be rolled out across Tesco.

Tesco is working on the study with Westfalia Fruit, which is the UK’s leading supplier of avocados and is based in Spalding, Lincolnshire. It said if the changes were implemented across all Tesco stores, it could save more than 20 million pieces of plastic tray packaging from the avocado double pack alone, rising to 25 million pieces across the pre-packed range.

Tesco said it could also save almost a million plastic stickers on extra large avocados, based on current sales information provided by the supplier. Tesco avocado buyer Lisa Gilbey said: “We are always looking for innovative ways to reduce the impact of our products on the environment and reduce plastic waste in the home through changes to our packaging.

“We’re really excited to hear customer feedback on our new laser-engraved avocado, avoiding the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left when being recycled through household food waste.”

Westfalia Fruit CEO Graham Isaac said: “(We) are continuously looking for ways to improve our environmental performance and operate in a responsible manner, focusing on priorities such as reducing – and whenever possible, removing – plastic from packaging to help solve the problem. the challenge of plastic waste. We are confident that with a clear focus and a united 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.”

The laser engraved avocado has been cascading into Tesco stores in recent weeks and will be in all stores taking part in the trial by this weekend.