One savvy shopper’s trick will help guarantee you leave the supermarket with the freshest strawberries on offer every time, as revealed in a viral clip.
Meredith, who uses the handle @naptwon thrifts on TikTok, shared the useful tip with a legion of followers in a video that’s racked up an impressive 320,000 likes.
The trick is to flip over the carton of berries to see whether any of the fruits stick to the absorbent pad at the bottom of the punnet, she explained.
When a fruit sticks to the pad it has already started to decay – meaning you should pick another carton.
Many supermarkets add the plaster-style strip, containing clay and minerals, to the bottom of their punnets to cut domestic food waste.
The mixture of minerals and clay helps absorb ethylene – a ripening hormone that causes fruit to ripen and turn mouldy.
READ MORE: Influencer shows off face after invasive surgery to give herself ‘cat’s eyes’
“Whenever my husband buys berries, they last so much longer and taste so much better than the ones I buy,” she explains in the video.
“I finally found out this secret is that he flips them over and buys whichever ones don’t stick to the bottom of the carton.”
To put the theory to the test, Meredith holds a punnet of strawberries and blackberries upside down, proving that they were all fresh because they move around freely in their container.
“Why are strawberries always two seconds away from moulding,” asked one viewer in the comment section.
“I’ve been flipping my berries over for years but I never knew what I was looking for,” joked another.
Others shared some of their best-kept secrets, including smelling the berries to ensure they are “sweet” enough.
“What? Why is this awesome,” said another, to which the owner of the video responded: “I KNOW!! He’s been sitting on this information for years.”
Soasksin the berries in vinegar can prevent them from going mouldy, which helps remove mould that’s already forming on the spores.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews
