News Morrisons Launches Wonky Pomegranates

Morrisons has become the first UK supermarket to sell wonky pomegranates in a bid to keep prices of the exotic fruit down as their popularity surges.

The four pack will be sold in the majority of Morrisons stores for £1.20 - just 30p per fruit. The average price of a pomegranate in UK supermarkets is 74p*.

Demand for pomegranates has increased as a result of their health properties. They are packed with antioxidants and vitamins and are a rich source of dietary fibre[1]. Celebrity chefs such as Yotam Ottolenghi and Jamie Oliver have also driven a craze for adding pomegranate seeds to salads, meat dishes as well as desserts.

The pomegranates are being bagged up as ‘wonky’ on account of their assorted sizes and superficial skin blemishes – caused by coming into contact with the ground. However, their taste, texture and flesh colour will be exactly the same as a normal pomegranate.

James Turner, Pomegranate Buyer at Morrisons said: “Apart from looking odd, our wonky pomegranates have the same taste and nutritional benefits as normal pomegranates. They really are beautiful on the inside.”

Pomegranate health benefits include:

• They’re a good source of Vitamin C - the juice of a single pomegranate has more than 40 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C, which is necessary for the growth and repair of all body tissues
• Pomegranates are also high in potassium which is good for blood pressure, cardiovascular health, bone strength, and muscle strength.[2]

Morrisons sources Wonky Pomegranates from orchards in Spain and the fruit will be of the Valencia and Acco varieties. The introduction of the Wonky line will have a number of benefits for growers there – helping them to reduce waste, increasing crop yields and boosting farm incomes by selling whole crops.

Pomegrantes are just the latest produce to be added to Morrisons already well-established wonky range which includes: apples, cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, swede, pears, sprouts, asparagus, leeks, onions, peppers, avocados and sweet potatoes.

The supermarket now sells more than 500 tonnes of wonky veg to 500,000 customers every week.

Morrisons Wonky Pomegranates will be available until the end of November.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact Rachel Kennedy at rachel.a.kennedy@morrisonsplc.co.uk

1. [1] https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-pomegranate-a-superfood.aspx
2. [2] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318385.php