Nunhem, the Netherlands – February 1, 2022 – BASF’s
vegetable seeds business developed a tearless onion variety which has now been
launched at supermarkets in France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom. The
yellow onion variety constitutes a breakthrough in vegetable innovation and is
a real gamechanger as the first tearless onion available to the market. It is a
result of more than three decades of conventional breeding efforts. Its
benefit: while onions usually become more pungent while being stored, this
variety becomes milder and sweeter over time.
Pilot sales of Sunions® started in Italy in December 2021
and in the UK and France in January 2022. In and Germany, it will hit
supermarket shelves from February. It was already launched in the U.S. and
Canada in 2017 and in Spain in 2020. The fresh onions will be marketed by
trading partners under the brand name Sunions®.
“The tearless onion is a clear example of our ambition to
make healthy eating enjoyable”, says Bilgehan Suer, Regional Crop Lead at
Vegetable Seeds and project leader for Sunions Europe. “Different consumer
studies confirmed that consumers love to eat Sunions® raw as much as baked,
stir-fried and cooked”.
Grown from a seed variety from the Nunhems® portfolio,
Sunions® have been introduced to the market in collaboration with value chain
partners, with BASF providing the seeds, growing recommendations, quality
assurance and connecting the chain partners from ‘farm to fork’. The use of the
brand name is part of the cooperation agreement.
In this pilot phase, Sunions® are only delivered to a
reduced number of stores inside a limited number of supermarket chains in
France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom.
“If the pilot projects reveal success with consumers,
distribution will be extended next season”, says Suer. “What countries will be
considered next depends on local interest from consumers and the available
supply options.”
For further information about Sunions® please visit www.sunions.co.uk,www.sunions.fr, www.sunions.it, www.sunions.es.
About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on
our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy
environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management
experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we
invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and
traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health,
pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office
and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to
create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In
2020, our division generated sales of €7.7 billion. For more information,
please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or
any of our social media channels.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic
success with environmental
protection and social responsibility. More than 110,000 employees in the BASF
Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and
almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six
segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies,
Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59
billion in 2020. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt
(BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further
information at www.basf.com .
|Source: Online/KSU
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