Lidl has said it will sell “stunted” fruit and vegetables impacted by the drought to support farmers and ensure food does not go to waste.

The discount supermarket has written to its British fresh produce suppliers to offer support in the wake of the prolonged record-breaking heatwave which hit crops.

Where possible, it will now include produce, which may be a different size to what shoppers are typically used to, within its existing lines.

The firm said the approach would “help to prevent perfectly good, quality produce from going to waste because of variations in specifications”.

Lidl GB’s chief executive Ryan McDonnell has called on other supermarkets to follow suit.

He said: “Farmers across the country are facing a big challenge this year due to the extreme weather conditions experienced over the summer months.

“Whilst the crop coming out may look and feel a bit different to what we’re all used to, it’s still the same great British quality.

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“We therefore want to show support for our suppliers by working with them to find solutions to help.”

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He added: “Lidl is built on the foundation of making good food accessible and affordable to everyone, and our fresh produce range is key to achieving this.

“Whilst some supermarkets have chosen to create a separate ‘wonky veg’ label for items that don’t quite fit a certain specification, we don’t believe in a creating a false market.

“Instead, we have always strived to work collaboratively with our suppliers to ensure that we are flexible with variations in specifications at different times of the year. However, now, more than ever, it’s critical that we and the rest of the sector get behind our suppliers.

“That’s why we have written to all of our British fresh produce suppliers, and I would urge other supermarkets to do the same, so that together we can ensure that perfectly good produce isn’t going to waste.”

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Back in 2019, Lidl launched Too Good to Waste boxes to help tackle in-store food waste.

Costing £1.50, the 5kg boxes contain fruit and vegetables from the store shelves that would otherwise be thrown away but are still perfect to eat.

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