UK retailer Tesco's tomatoes will now stay fresher for longer following the roll-out of It'sFresh!, with Tesco Finest tomatoes being the first to benefit, and many other tomato varieties to follow in due course.

Fruit naturally ripens in the presence of ethylene gas. Controlling this process is vital for the fre

Tesco

The roll-out follows successful trials on UK Sunstream tomato varieties from innovative greenhouse growers Thanet Earth, and a commercial depot pilot with Tesco during February and March this year.

According to Robert James, Technical Manager at Thanet Earth: "We're delighted to have been chosen as the first European grower to pilot It'sFresh! on tomatoes with Tesco. Our trials have shown it consistently extends product life, even with UK-grown varieties. By keeping our produce fresher for longer, It'sFresh! reduces waste and enhances quality, giving consumers the confidence to buy and eat more-which is good news for everyone in the supply chain."

Results showed that Tesco can now offer a ‘freshness guarantee' of two extra days, simply by adding It'sFresh! to the existing retail packaging. New on-pack graphics will spell out to shoppers that  tomatoes now stay fresher for longer. In practical terms, It'sFresh! will both reduce waste, and increase sales by improving the purchase and consumption experience for consumers. 

Steve Deeble, Technical Manager at Tesco, comments: "People love the rich flavor of vine-ripened tomatoes and now, thanks to It'sFresh!, Tesco customers will be the first to savour a longer-lasting premium eating experience with our Finest varieties. It'sFresh! has the proven ability to reduce waste and extend shelf life, and is changing the game for the whole of the fresh produce industry."
 
Fruit naturally ripens in the presence of ethylene gas. Controlling this process is vital for the fresh produce industry to minimize the waste, cost and disappointment caused by premature ripening in the supply chain. It'sFresh! changes the game with a fresh new solution that really works. Tests have shown It'sFresh! is the most effective ethylene adsorbtion technology on the market; it's also one of the easiest to deploy. Its unique blend of minerals and clay, sealed into a food-grade sheet, can be easily inserted into bulk and retail fresh produce packaging at the pack-house.