British retailer Tesco recorded a 35% increase in demand for ready prepared frozen fruit slices last year, and to build on that the supermarket is adding four new fruits to that range,

The new lines include pomegranate, beetroot, watermelon and coconut, which Tesco notes are some of the "trendiest but also trickiest foods to prepare without fuss".

"Anyone who’s ever tried getting the seeds out of a pomegranate to add outstanding flavour to a salad or tried breaking open a coconut will know how fiddly it can be," Tesco frozen food buyer Marianne Aitken said in a release.

"Our new frozen range is a delicious and hassle free way to help assemble that eye-catching dish.

"Frozen fruit options are becoming increasingly popular with shoppers, who are looking for simple ways to eat a wide range of fruits, without the preparation time associated with fresh varieties."

The new line is expected to help reduce food waste as well, and was welcomed by the U.K.'s Waste and Resources Reduction Action Programme (WRAP).

"We welcome the launch of Tesco’s launch of frozen watermelon, beetroot, coconut and pomegranate," said WRAP director Dr. Richard Swannell.

"This could really help consumers reduce edible household food waste as they can simply defrost and use as and when required.

All of the new frozen products come in easy to use re-sealable packs. The beetroot and coconut are already diced while the watermelon is in chunks and the pomegranate is seeded.

In the release, Tesco noted all of these fruit and vegetable items had become popular recently in recipes and health drinks, particularly in the following combinations:

• Pomegranate seeds in salads and tagines
• Coconut in Asian cooking and desserts as a substitute for sugar
• Beetroot in salads, smoothies and even cakes and brownies
• Watermelon in smoothies and salads

www.freshfruitportal.com