Trying to cut down on food waste across England, Marks & Spencer is selling a bunches of bananas in its stores for just 25p.
The bananas, which M&S says come in a minimum of packs of three, are packaged in clever cardboard bags that are part of a “Go Bananas” campaign to reduce fruit that otherwise would go unsold.
M&S said it trialled the bags in 10 stores and sold 6,800, or 18,000 saved units of loose bananas.
“Bananas are among the most wasted produce at supermarkets as customers typically like to buy spotless yellow bananas to ripen at home, so we’re excited to be extending our Go Bananas bags to more M&S stores, and further reduce food waste by offering bananas that are absolutely perfect for baking – and at great value,” Pippa Masters, Fruit Buyer at M&S, said. “Home baking has seen a huge rise over the last year, with banana bread becoming the ultimate zeitgeist bake and a favourite for families. Our Go Bananas bags are helping us to become more relevant, more often for customers who are looking to enjoy baking tasty and convenient food at home.”
As other retailers have committed to cutting food waste by 50% by 2030, M&S similarly has launched similar initiatives, including a redistribution scheme with platform Neighbourly that connects its stores with charities.
Bananas have gotten a lot of attention during the lockdown, from baking to boxing to athletics.
Dublin-based Fyffes, which produces millions of bananas each year, said it received 70,000 participants from a campaign launched on healthy eating with Irish world boxing champion Kellie Harrington and track and field Olympian David Gillick. Started in March, its Fit Squad interactive videos across 12 weeks helped encourage children and families to adopt more active lifestyles.
