Tesco selling dinky little avocados the size of eggs

Updated
Tesco's tiny avocados
Tesco's tiny avocados

It's the ultimate first world problem: what to do with what's left of your avocado after you've made your single piece of avocado toast.

Now, Tesco has the answer: tiny versions of the fruit that are sold by the half-dozen in egg boxes.

See also: Trio accused of stealing £235k of avocados



See also: Morrisons asparagus costs just a quid - as long as you don't mind it wonky



Dubbed 'zilla eggs', the mini Hass avocados are about a third of the usual size - and 24 times smaller than the giant-sized Avozilla avocado which Tesco has sold in a limited number of stores in the last few years.

They weigh a tiny 70g each.

"They are perfect for customers who want to snack, without the usual fuss or worry of wasting the other half of the avocado," says Tesco buyer James Cantoni.

They also have a thinner skin than normal, meaning they can be peeled easily by hand and eaten as a snack. And, says Tesco, they are just as high quality and taste just as good as their full-sized cousins.

However, Tesco says there's another reason for stocking the miniature fruit: it helps producers, who previously tended to throw them away.

These particular avocadoes come from South Africa, where a hotter, drier summer has left many fruit undersized - and growers struggling to sell them.

"At Tesco we're passionate about working in partnership with our suppliers to tackle food waste from farm to fork," says Cantoni.

"These zilla eggs are a brilliant way to offer customers great tasting, high quality avocados, which previously would have been rejected by growers because of their size."

The company says that demand for avocadoes has risen by 30% over the last year - indeed, they're now even more popular than oranges. They are believed to have great health benefits, thanks to a high level of protein and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, and are claimed to help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

However, there's been a global shortage, thanks to factors such as huge demand in China and a strike by Mexican growers.

Earlier this year, Morrisons made an effort to tackle the problem by selling 'wonky' versions with blemished skins for 39p, less than half the usual price.

Tesco's bought 1,500 cases of the mini avocados, and says they will be available in 100 stores until stocks run out, priced at £2 for a pack of six.

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