Avocados are one of the great intergenerational battlegrounds.
They’re incredibly nutritious, versatile and tasty, and they’re not exactly bank-breakingly expensive.
However, when Millennials and Gen Z decry the economic conditions that have rendered homeownership near-impossible for those without huge salaries, inherited or gifted funds, or a commitment to enjoying as little of their 20s and 30s as possible, those of the Gen X and Boomer variety often point to avocados and Netflix subscriptions as the problem.
The fact they bought their own homes in 1970 for a packet of crisps and a £10 down-payment is neither here nor there: we youngers are simply too committed to extremely affordable luxuries.
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Anyway! That’s enough arguing with the strawman.
We shan’t stop eating avocados no matter how much a 75p avocado might be hurting our chances of cobbling together £30,000 for a mortgage deposit, and Tesco is working on ways to make that 75p go even further.
As with a lot of fresh produce, picking up a ripe avocado takes a lot of guesswork that, unfortunately, can have some disappointing outcomes. Underripe and overripe avocados are a regular grievance on the weekly shop, so it’s only natural that news of a ripeness scanner will prick plenty a shopper’s ears.
Tesco is currently trialling special scanners that can gauge an avocado’s ripeness, potentially freeing us from the cursory squeezes we apply to the stoned fruits whilst browsing and cutting out the guesswork.
After all, how can we make avocado toast in our outlandishly expensive rented flats if they won’t yield to a good mashing?
Five Tesco stores around England have been graced with these ripeness testing gizmos, but consumer product experts are divided on how useful they might be.
While Tom Allingham from Save the Student says it’s ‘only fair’ to increase transparency around product quality, the CEO of Taylor Herring, James Herring derided the trial as a gimmick whilst saying ‘a quick squeeze’ is an effective-enough gauge.
"Britain's supermarkets are locked in a never-ending battle for attention and spend, so every day brings a new gimmick," said Herring.
"Tesco's avocado scanner has done its job: it's sparked chatter about food waste and burnished the brand's innovation credentials.
"Sure, you could put 100% of the marketing budget into store upgrades or slightly faster checkouts, but those fixes don't grab the headlines or make for good TikTok content."
The tech trial, according to Lisa Lawrence who sources Tesco’s avocados, was inspired by social media chatter.
"Smashed avocado on sourdough continues to be one of the trendiest snacks at the moment, garnering millions of views on social media sites for recipe ideas, so we think, for that reason, the scanner will be really popular with shoppers," said Lawrence.
Tesco will reportedly shift around 15 million more avocados in 2025 than it did in 2024, highlighting the continued meteoric rise of the maligned fruit.
"The scanner will enable shoppers to choose the avocado that is right for them and which therefore can help them plan their usage and desired shelf life," continued Lawrence.
If you want to give one of these scanners a go, you can fine them at the following Tesco stores while the trial is underway:
- Cheshunt Extra, Hertfordshire
- Colchester Superstore, Essex
- Stratford upon Avon Superstore, Warwickshire
- Wokingham Superstore, Berkshire
- Salisbury Extra, Wiltshire.
Rachael Davis