British apple farmers given helping hand by Tesco after autumn crop hit by ‘frost ring’

British apple farmers are to be given a helping hand by Tesco after frosts earlier this year hampered the growth of this autumn’s crop.

Unseasonal temperatures dropped to -4C at the end of April in parts of Britain and caused a fruit blemish known as ‘frost ring’ which leaves a ring mark around the circumference or a large blemish on the skin.

For some growers it will mean a struggle supplying apples to supermarkets because of crop specifications set by retailers governing the overall look and quality of fruit and vegetables.

But to help growers and prevent otherwise perfectly good apples from going to waste Tesco has now widened those specifications to ensure they will still go on sale.

And the move by Tesco will mean that a variety of different apples, including 300 tonnes of Bramley variety, will now end up on supermarket shelves across the UK.

John Worth, Tesco’s apple expert said:

“We’re working with our apple growers to use as much of the crop and prevent perfectly good fruit from going to waste.

“We want to support our growers wherever we can – and although some apples might be smaller or blemished, they still have the same great taste our customers expect.”    

Slightly blemished apples will be sold as part of the supermarket’s standard range whilst the more blemished fruit will be sold as part of Tesco’s ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ range.

Links

https://www.tescoplc.com

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