Morrisons to sell ‘wonky’ pomegranates to meet rising demand

Fruit will come in different sizes and have blemishes but will cost 30p, compared to average 74p in UK supermarkets

 Pomegranates are a good source of vitamin C and fibre. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent

Wednesday 15 November 2017 19.01 ESTLast modified on Wednesday 15 November 2017 19.02 EST

A UK supermarket is to be the first to sell misshapen or “wonky” pomegranates, in order to keep prices down in the face of surging demand from consumers.

Packs of four will be sold in Morrisons for £1.20 – equivalent to 30p per fruit – when the average price of a pomegranate in UK supermarkets is 74p.

Demand for the exotic fruit has increased as a result of discussion of its health benefits, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket said. Pomegranates contain antioxidants and vitamins and are a rich source of dietary fibre.

Celebrity chefs such as Yotam Ottolenghi and Jamie Oliver have fuelled a craze for adding pomegranate seeds to salads, meat dishes and desserts. Pomegranates also now feature on the high street in everything from salads to fresh fruit pots.

The “wonky” fruit comes in varying sizes and with superficial skin blemishes – caused by falling to the ground. However, its taste, texture and flesh colour will be exactly the same as a normal pomegranate.

“Apart from looking odd, our wonky pomegranates have the same taste and nutritional benefits as normal pomegranates,” said James Turner, pomegranate buyer at Morrisons. “They really are beautiful on the inside.”

Pomegranates are a good source of vitamin C – the juice of a single pomegranate has more than 40% of an adult’s daily requirement of vitamin C, which is essential for the growth and repair of body tissue. They are also high in potassium, which is good for blood pressure, cardiovascular health and bone and muscle strength.

Morrisons sources its pomegranates from Spanish orchards and the fruit will be of the Valencia and Acco varieties. The introduction of the “wonky” line will also have a number of benefits for growers – helping them to reduce waste and increasing crop yields.

Pomegranates are the latest piece of fresh produce to be added to Morrisons’s established wonky range, which includes apples, cabbages, cauliflowers, courgettes, swedes, pears, sprouts, asparagus, leeks, onions, peppers, avocados and sweet potatoes. The supermarket said it now sold more than 500 tonnes of wonky veg to 500,000 customers a week.

The wonky line aims to stop fruit or veg that is misshapen, has growth cracks, or is much smaller or larger than average being rejected and wasted. In previous years, farmers may have sent wonky vegetables to be processed into other food products such as stir fries and soups or may not have harvested the crop at all.

But an earlier attempt by Morrisons to sell wonky courgettes was branded “pathetic” by the chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in his War on Waste TV programme. Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose also have wonky veg lines.