Tesco has introduced a new range of "Ripen at home" bananas designed to give shoppers four additional days of shelf life, as UK households discard one million bananas every day.

The supermarket said that the initiative will "allow shoppers to better plan for the week ahead by adding a shelf life of around four days".

The new bananas will be sold in packs of five for 78p, matching the price of regular ripe bananas. They will be held together with an adhesive band clearly marking them as "ripen at home" products.

The launch comes as banana sales remain robust in Britain, with approximately four billion purchased in the past year.

Tesco recently conducted a survey to understand purchasing habits and preferences when it comes to bananas.

Significantly, shoppers expressed a preference for receiving greener bananas than they currently get, influencing Tesco's decision to introduce the new range.

Alongside milk and bread, bananas remain one of Britain's shopping basket essentials, ranking among the most frequently purchased foods in the country.

Because they are such a popular kitchen staple, tackling food waste at this level could have a major impact.

The new bananas will be sold in packs of five for 78p

Tesco banana buyer Dan Bentley said: "Bananas have never been more popular on account of their nutritional qualities and versatility in cooking, baking and in making smoothies and milkshakes.

"In the last year, we have seen demand soar with nearly 15 million more sold than the previous.

"But unfortunately, we know that bananas can ripen quickly, so we hope that by offering customers an added longer shelf-life option, it will allow them to buy accordingly for the week ahead and hopefully help them cut down on wastage at home."

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Tesco's initiative addresses a significant environmental challenge, as food waste generates up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN World Food Programme.

This is a crucial concern, prompting the UN to identify cutting global food waste in half by 2030 as one of its top priorities.

The organisation noted that nearly a fifth of all food produced each year is squandered or lost before it can be consumed. This waste produces almost five times the total emissions of the aviation sector.

Household waste accounts for 60 per cent of all food waste globally, so mitigating this at the supermarket-kitchen level is key.

Tesco has previously tackled banana waste through innovation. In 2009, it became the first UK retailer to introduce specially designed "hammock" fixtures that reduce bruising, addressing a problem that had caused tens of thousands of pounds in wastage costs annually.

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