Loblaws, Canada’s
largest supermarket chain, is expanding is offerings of fruits and vegetables
that are less than top grade.
They have been
priced about 30 per cent below traditional supermarket produce in a trial in
Toronto-area stores that will now be offered coast to coast.
"It really
went well above and beyond what our expectation was," said Dan Branson,
the company's senior director of produce.
"I think
it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for
some options around driving value into their weekly shop and having greater
accessibility to that healthy eating product of value."
Based on the
program's success, Naturally Imperfect will now include unsightly peppers,
onions and mushrooms for consumers in Quebec and Ontario.
Meanwhile,
Loblaw's Real Canadian Superstore, Your Independent Grocer and most No Frills
stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba started stocking
less-than-perfect apples and peppers Wednesday, and Atlantic Superstore and
Your Independent Grocer locations in the Atlantic provinces started stocking
Naturally Imperfect apples.