GERMANY - Reducing food waste is top of mind for industry members, including Aldi. In the retailer’s most recent move, it has committed to trialing the sale of crownless pineapples. With the crown of the pineapple often being thrown away by shoppers, the company will be removing the green leaves from its pineapples during the production process for recycling instead.

“At Aldi, we are committed to finding sustainable solutions that benefit both our customers and the environment,” said Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director. “This trial of crownless pineapples is just one of the latest innovative changes we’re testing out to minimize waste and reduce our carbon footprint.”

The removed crowns will either be used to cultivate next year’s crop or converted into animal feed, reducing food waste by an estimated 1,400 tonnes annually if the change is rolled out across stores, a press release stated.

By removing the crowns, Aldi will also be able to fit more of the product into boxes to be transported to stores, meaning a potential reduction of around 187 tonnes of cardboard annually if the trial is successful.

The crownless pineapples are now available in select stores in the Midlands, Yorkshire, and North East locations.

We'll report back on whether or not Aldi intends to take its this strategy Stateside, so keep an eye out for more reports from ANUK.