Tesco says it has become the first U.K. supermarket to start selling green satsumas and clementines, in a bit to cut food waste. 

The move has been prompted by recent higher early season temperatures in Spain which have slowed down the natural process by which the skin of the fruit turns orange.

Despite the skin being slightly green the fruit is still as perfectly sweet and as juicy as when they turn orange, Tesco said.

In order to accelerate the coloring process, growers have been putting the easy peelers into a ripening room, but this extra handling has led to a small amount of fruit being damaged and therefore going to waste.

By taking out this stage shoppers will also be able to benefit from the move as the fruit will have an extra shelf life of up to two days meaning less potential food waste in the home.

 “At the moment green easy peelers fall outside of the general quality specifications set by UK supermarkets but Tesco has made the leading move in order to cut down on food waste," Tesco citrus buyer Debbie Lombaard said.

“As a result of this move to take out a handling stage in the journey from farm to fork shoppers will gain extra freshness for their satsumas and clementines.”

The fruit will be sold as ‘Perfectly Ripe Early Season Satsumas’ and will cost the same as orange colored ones.

Over the last few years warmer Spanish temperatures in the early growing season for satsumas in September and October have remained higher into the autumn, delaying the coloring process.

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