From September, PENNY will start marketing pineapples without crowns throughout Germany. The pineapple crown is removed during the harvest. This has advantages across the board: The crown accounts for around 25 per cent of the fruit volume, meaning that a reduction in the CO2 footprint is achieved by increasing packaging and transport efficiency. In addition, the crowns, which previously usually ended up in domestic waste, can be reused in the country of origin.
Around 20 per cent of the crowns are used to grow new pineapples and the remaining 80 per cent as fertiliser. Previously, the pineapple crowns ended up more or less unused in customers' household waste. The pineapple fruit without crowns will be available in all 2,130 PENNY stores over the course of the year.
"We market around 2.5 million pineapples every year. By dispensing with the crowns, we are only changing the familiar appearance. Extensive tests have clearly shown that the quality and shelf life of the fruit remain unchanged. We are also making a contribution to the sustainable utilisation of the previously useless part of the pineapple - the crown - in the growing regions. Another advantage is that we can now transport more fruit in the same space during sea transport. After all, transport is easier for our customers and domestic rubbish bins are emptier. In this respect, everyone in the chain benefits from the changeover. Less is more here," says Patricia Hirsch, Purchasing Manager Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers at PENNY.
