UK: Tesco to sell small lettuce to prevent food waste

A bonus crop of small iceberg lettuces has been saved from going to waste by Tesco, the company says in a press release. "They may be small but they're still tasty. One of our suppliers has had a bonus crop of lettuces. Our growers have thousands of perfectly edible but small iceberg lettuces. Growers usually have a difficult time selling these lettuces to the markets, processors and supermarkets because of their small size."

An unexpected bonus crop is when unseasonable weather conditions create more food than is planned. Despite advanced forecasting and ordering systems, at certain times of the year our farmers see bonus crops. Farmers, call these moments 'crop flushes'. It means that the products are in a limited number, sometimes in a limited geographical location and won't be available all of the time.

"Tesco have been been able to help reduce waste by offering these smaller iceberg lettuces to customers in our Perfectly Imperfect range, all at a great price of 29p."

"Our supplier G's Fresh approached Tesco and asked us to help. We've worked with G's for years and are in constant conversation about how to deliver the best produce to customers."

Source: Tesco