Tesco is trialling packaging in the UK that it hopes will lead to fewer wasted fruit and vegetables.

The UK retail giant is selling tomatoes and avocados in packaging developed by It’s Fresh Ltd.

The packaging contains a strip coated with a natural product that is able to absorb ethylene, the hormone that causes fruit to ripen and then turn mouldy.

Tesco said initial trials had been a “success” and suggest the device could be used in the packaging for other fruit and vegetables.

Tesco ambient salad and avocado technologist Steve Deeble said: “The packaging is a major breakthrough in the fight to combat food waste and could save the fresh produce industry tens of millions of pounds each year. It will also mean that shoppers will be able to keep fruit and vegetables for longer without feeling pressured to eat them within days of buying them.”

He added: “We have already trialled the packaging in a storage environment and all the signs are there that this could be one of the most significant developments in packaging for many years so now we want to know what our customers think of it.”

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Tomatoes and avocados are being tested in the new packaging as they have some of the “highest wastage” in the industry, the retailer said.

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