Tesco’s new avocado ripeness scanners are sparking debate among fans of the fruit, with some hailing them as a genius shopping hack and others arguing that the traditional squeeze test is good enough.
Avocado toast’s popularity hinges on the fruit’s ripeness, making the quest for the perfect, soft avocado a top priority.
Tesco’s new avocado scanners are being trialed in fine stores across England, allowing the shoppers to check the ripeness of their avocados before making payment.
Tesco's avocado buyer Lisa Lawrence is spot-on about the power of social media in driving food trends.
She said, “Smashed avocado on sourdough continues to be one of the trendiest snacks at the moment, garnering millions of views on social media sites for recipe ideas, so we think, for that reason, the scanner will be really popular with shoppers.”
According to Tesco, “This year it has sold almost 15 million more avocados than it did in the previous 52 weeks."
This is the latest tech update from the supermarket since its trial of giant trolley scales at a store in Gateshead led to some shoppers comparing it to airport security.
The Tesco avocado scanners are located in the fruit aisles in the following stores: Cheshunt Extra and Colchester Superstore in Essex, Stratford upon Avon Superstores in Warwickshire, Wokingham Superstore in Berkshire, and Salisbury Extra in Wiltshire.