Waitrose, the upmarket chain owned by the John Lewis partnership, in June 2006 launched a range of "ugly" looking seasonal fruit at discounted prices for use in cooking. The "class two" produce will be either visually flawed or oddly shaped, according to Waitrose, but otherwise perfect for eating.

But because the plums, strawberries, raspberries and other items are not ideal in appearance, they will be marketed for use in cookery and jam-making at a reduced price, in packs costing 50p to £1 less per kilo than their perfect-looking equivalents.

Waitrose says it is launching the initiative to help its suppliers save on wastage while offering a price deal to its customers. "It means our existing growers and suppliers can sell us their class-two produce, which normally they would have had to sell elsewhere," a Waitrose spokeswoman said.

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