A SUPERMARKET is selling wonky chillies at a cheaper price in response to customer concern about food waste.

Morrisons said the chillies have the same heat and flavour as standard chillies but have defects such as missing stalks, "extreme curvature", imperfect colouring or are simply smaller.

They are 39 per cent cheaper than the perfect alternative, priced at 61p per 100g for budget-conscious customers.

Morrisons pledged to sell more wonky, over-sized, under-sized and blemished seasonal fruit and vegetables after listening to customers' concerns about food waste.

It has committed to increasing its range of seasonal wonky products by 50 per cent to 33, including wonky kiwis and avocado.

It is also launching its first frozen wonky product, a 1kg Wonky Berry Mix, and will advertise the products on television for the first time in an effort to boost their acceptability among consumers.

The grocer said it is aiming to work with 22 countries this year to source wonky fruit and vegetables and increase the number of farms where it buys the whole crop to almost 300 by 2019.

Drew Kirk, fruit and vegetable director at Morrisons, said: "We have listened to customers who have told us they want to be given every opportunity to reduce food waste.

"So we're providing a much bigger choice of naturally wonky or blemished products so everyone can be involved in reducing waste and afford to eat more healthily."