The 'frowned upon' habits you need to ditch while grocery shopping
Aussie shoppers are being warned against touching and sampling autumn fruit and vegetables during their weekly grocery shopping.
Avocadoes, grapes, mandarins, corn and broccoli are all falling victim to a series of bad habits customers are relying on to choose quality fresh produce.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to choose the best fruit and vegetables without ruining them for others.
Aussie shoppers are being warned against touching and sampling autumn fruit and vegetables. Getty
Here are three bad habits to break, and strategies you can use instead.
1. Squeezing avocados
According to Australian Avocados, more than half of Aussies (55 per cent) admit to squeezing the middle of an avocado to test ripeness, while two in three (66 per cent) say they'll handle up to three avocados each shop.
This kind of handling can lead to bruising before the fruit even makes it home.
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More than half of Aussie shoppers (55 per cent) are still squeezing their avocados. Getty
Instead, you should "check the neck" to avoid bruising the produce for other shoppers. Nine
Instead of squeezing them, Australian avocado farmer Lucy Philip suggested "gently press the neck close to the stem", which is where the fruit naturally softens first.
Philip, who grows Shepard and Hass avocados on the family farm, told nine.com.au the best way to check an avocado for ripeness is "check the neck".
"You don't even have to pick it up, it's just ... [a] gentle press around the stem of the avocado," she explained.
"If it gives slightly, it's ready to eat. If it's still a bit firm, then it's got another couple of days to get into operation."
This method can be used for both varieties of avocados.
To help address the issue, Australian Avocados has teamed up with Australia's two-time Strongman Champion Eddie Williams (also known for his appearance on Australia's Got Talent), alongside a singing avocado character, to launch a music video for their new track, 'Are You Bruisin' While Choosin'?'
The campaign aims to encourage shoppers to pause in-store and rethink how they check for ripeness, with a simple message: don't squeeze the middle – the neck is where to check.
2. Sampling for ripeness
There are still excellent grapes in stock, and mandarin season has begun, but how can you tell they are sweet and delicious without sampling them?
We've all done it, but sampling grapes in the supermarket is now frowned upon. Getty
With grapes, you want to look for a slightly white "bloom", Josh Ball from Farmers Pick previously told nine.com.au.
This signals a crispy grape and is the same technique recommended for choosing good blueberries.
With mandarins, you can gently pick them up and feel for a little heaviness, which signals juiciness.
Mandarins are a little trickier to check. Getty
You don't want them to feel too light, and the skin should shiny and firm, even on the wrinkly Imperial mandarins.
Anton van den Berg from Box Divvy said mandarins need "a lot of chilling time" and like cold weather, which will lead to sweeter fruit, so they will improve overall later in the season.
3. Ditching vegetable refuse
Shoppers struggling to make ends meet have been removing refuse from vegetables to avoid paying for 'unusable' parts of them.
Some shoppers have taken to removing the husks from corn cobs before purchasing them. Getty
Recent behaviours have included removing vine tomatoes from their green vine, peeling husks off corn cobs and breaking stems off broccoli and cauliflower.
Supermarkets have the perfect solution to this.
They have moved to selling tomatoes, corn cobs, broccoli, and cauliflower heads per pack or per piece instead of per kilo, which is an easy solution for all.
Others have been breaking the stems off broccoli. Getty
For those shopping at retailers where these vegetables are still sold per kilo, it's worth noting most businesses frown upon removing refuse.
It may be worth asking staff for help when it comes to avoiding paying for unusable parts of vegetables, which is more likely to lead to an favourable outcome for all.
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