Aldi is trialling crownless pineapples in a move aimed at reducing food waste.
The supermarket giant said that with the crown of pineapples often being thrown away by shoppers, it has chosen to remove the green leaves in advance during the production process to ensure they are recycled.
The removed crowns are understood to then either be used to cultivate the following year’s crops, or be converted into animal feed – a move that is set to reduce food waste by an estimated 1,400 tonnes annually if the change is nationally rolled out across stores.
Currently, shoppers can purchase the new crownless pineapples in select stores in the Midland, Yorkshire and North East.
The removal is also set to allow the discounter to fit more pineapples into boxes for transportation to its store, allowing for a predicted reduction of 187 tonnes of cardboard annually.
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Aldi national sustainability director Liz Foz said: “At Aldi, we are committed to finding sustainable solutions that benefit both our customers and the environment.
“This trial of crownless pineapples is just one of the latest innovative changes we’re testing out to minimise waste and reduce our carbon footprint.”
Aldi’s new proposed change comes as just one of the latest initiatives it has launched recent months in a bid to achieve its wider sustainability goals.
Just last week, the discounter rolled out recycled plastic to its own-label crisp packaging, while in May it debuted new recyclable butter packaging on two of its own-label butter lines – both new changes representing a UK supermarket first.
