OneThird is proud to announce the launch of the avocado scanner trial at Tesco, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains. The trial is launched across five selected Tesco locations: Cheshunt Extra in Hertfordshire, Colchester Superstore in Essex, Stratford-upon-Avon Superstore in Warwickshire, Wokingham Superstore in Berkshire, and Salisbury Extra in Wiltshire. The cooperation between Tesco and us reflects both our commitment to sustainability, food waste prevention, and customer satisfaction.
At OneThird, we're driven by our mission to reduce global food waste. By helping consumers select avocados that match their intended use and timeline, our scanner enables better meal planning and reduces the likelihood of fruit spoiling before consumption. This technology protects avocados from unnecessary handling damage while keeping produce fresher on store shelves.
As Tesco's avocado buyer Lisa Lawrence notes:
“The scanner will enable shoppers to choose the avocado that is right for them and which can help them plan their usage and desired shelf life, thereby cutting down on waste. It encourages shoppers to check ripeness without squeezing, helping protect avocados on shelf from damage, reducing waste, and keeping produce fresher in store."
The avocado scanner measures the ripeness of the avocado non-destructively and in real-time. By using light (more specifically: spectroscopy), the scanner determines the molecular composition and structure of the avocado: call it a biological fingerprint. The system then matches this fingerprint against a database that contains an enormous amount of these fingerprints and their ripeness, to determine the ripeness of the scanned avocado. The database is updated continuously to ensure optimal performance.
René Clerc, Business Unit Manager Store Scanner at OneThird, about the avocado scanner:
"Consumers hold an avocado in front of the scanner, and the scanner then reads the avocado's ripeness level within milliseconds. Giving a clear result to the consumer, either on whether their avocado is perfect for smashing onto toast or ideal for slicing into salads. This non-invasive approach eliminates the need for shoppers to squeeze or handle the fruit, preserving quality and reducing damage. I'm excited to see what results the avocado scanners at Tesco will yield."