KITLIVING
recipe overleaf
80g of tinned or fresh pineapple
counts as one of your five a day.
Per 100g pineapples contain
a good amount of vitamin C
(80% of your RDA*), calories 50;
carbohydrate 13% (of which sugar
10g), 1.4g dietary fibre (5% of your
RDA), zero fat or cholesterol. *RDA
+ recommended daily amount.
NUTRITION
P
ineapples have become
Britain's fastest growing
fruit in popularity,
with even sales of the
'marmite' of all pizzas,
the Hawaiian, soaring. According to
Tesco, in the last year demand for whole
pineapples has increased by nearly 15%
on last year, with more shoppers buying it
because of its versatility as an ingredient
in main dishes, desserts and juices.
Tesco has been responding by
introducing new pineapple varieties,
including prepared snacking slices for
added convenience leading to snacking
pineapple fingers up by 30%.
Meanwhile sales of pineapple juice are
up by more than 20% too. Tesco fresh
pineapple buyer Morgan Jaquemet says,
"Pineapples have become the fruit taste
of the moment and could soon rival the
avocado as a once niche fruit suddenly
gaining mainstream popularity. Demand
has jumped because of being seen as
a versatile and healthy food - it's even
made its way onto the BBQ in the summer
months. Last year we even sold pineapples
at Halloween as a rival to the pumpkin for
kids to carve into a scary face."
Pineapples were brought to Europe
by early explorers such as Christopher
Columbus and became fashionable
among European royalty. They were then
cultivated in hot houses on the richest
estates, and there is a painting of Charles
II receiving what is believed to be the first
cultivated pineapple on British soil from
his gardener from around 1675. At that
point pineapples were the ultimate status
symbol, because having one meant you'd
had the funds to build a pinery to grown
To see a guide from Waitrose on how to safely prepare a
pineapple, click the pic above.
them in and the three years of labour to
produce the first fruit.
No need to wait
In news from another leading supermarket
chain, Waitrose has announced that Costa
Rica will become the first country outside
Africa to join its Waitrose Foundation,
which currently funds projects in Ghana,
Kenya and South Africa. The foundation
aims to expand the scheme to 12
countries by 2020. Customers can now
see the Waitrose Foundation logo on
the retailer's Costa Rican wholehead
pineapples. The specific projects are
chosen in collaboration with workers and
their communities - it is expected that
investment in local education is likely to
be a high priority in Costa Rica.
Tor Harris, Head of Sustainability and
Responsible Sourcing for Waitrose, says,
''Customers will know when they buy
our Costa Rican wholehead pineapples
that the workers who grow them are
benefitting directly. This demonstrates
our commitment to treating people in our
supply chains fairly and with respect.''