Tesco launches no fuss avocados that ‘easily pull away from skin’ – but they cost TRIPLE the price
The new EasyAvo costs £1.95 each but the popular supermarket says it could prevent dreaded 'avocado or guac hand' injuries that have been on the rise
CHOPPING up an avocado may not seem that complicated, but Tesco has made it even simpler by launching a new variety with skin that easily pulls away.
But this convenience comes at a cost as the new EasyAvo costs £1.95 each - triple the price of an avocado in its £1.31 twin pack.
The supermarket hopes it will prevent “avocado or guac hand” - when hapless home cooks suffer from slash or stab wounds while cutting up the fruit.
Doctors have seen a growing number of people rush to the emergency department with avocado-related injuries, as we reported last year.
The rise in injuries even prompted the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRA) to call for safety labels on the fruit to warn customers about the dangers.
The new extra-large EasyAvo has thicker skin, which claims is easier to peel away once the fruit is cut in half.
But it is pricey, as a single avocado in Tesco's £1.31 Ripe and Ready Twin Pack works out at just 65p.
How to cut an avocado safely
To avoid injury, follow these tips next time you're chopping up the fruit:
1. Start cutting from the top (keeping your fingers out the way) and push down with the knife until you feel the stone
2. Pull the knife out slightly and turn the avocado around the knife with your hand - never apply too much pressure
3. When you've run the knife around the whole avocado twist the two sides in opposite directions to pull them apart
4. Remove the stone by pushing the knife into the centre of the stone where it is softest and twisting until it comes out, or remove it with your fingers if the avo is really ripe
5. Peel off the skin with your fingers or scoop out the flesh with a spoon
Meanwhile a medium-sized avocado costs 85p, and a large is £1 - 95p cheaper than the new EasyAvo.
The easy-peel fruit will first go on sale in 175 selected stores and online across the UK on Thursday for two weeks as part of a trial. Tesco will then decide if it has been popular enough to continue selling.
It's the first time the EasyAvo has gone on sale to the public anywhere in the world.
Tesco describes the fruit as having “rich, creamy flesh” and says its skin looks more like a shell than other varieties, such as Hass or Fuerte.
The new fruit is grown in South Africa and is a hybrid of different avocado varieties.
Tesco’s avocado buyer Laura Marsden Payne explained: “As the fruit ripens and moisture loss occurs in the process, the thicker, corkier skin separates more easily from the fruit flesh, compared to the thinner and more pliable skin of a Fuerte or Hass.”
More on Money stories
This is the first year that growers have produced enough to support a trial, but there will still only be a limited supply of these easy-peel avocados - so if you want one, you’ll have to be quick.
If you don’t want to splash out on a pricey easy-peel avocado, we reveal the safest ways to chop popular fruit and veg to avoid any kitchen accidents.
Earlier this year, a group of six teenage boys invented a gadget to beat “avocado hand” injuries that is due to go on sale to the public.
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