Stop & Shop Thinks You Might Like To Chow Down On A Nice, Crunchy Scrubbing Loofahbo

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• Either there’s a bit of confusion going on at a Massachusetts Stop & Shop, or these fruits have been left out way too long, completing their transformation from edibles to hygienic tools.

  Consumerist reader Jack sent in the above photo featuring a selection of scrubbing loofahs in the produce section next to jicama and bananas, advertised as “Loufah” for $3.99.

  “Pluck this gourd before it full ripens and add it to curry soup and stir fry,” the helpful description in the display suggests, while the tag on the item itself designates its category as “cleaning rags.”

  The confusion: These bath tools come from a plant known as “luffa,” a vine fruit related to the cucumber. A luffa will turn into what we call a loofah if the fruit isn’t harvested when it’s young. Once it’s fully ripe and dries out, it turns very fibrous, and can be used as the kind of scrubbing sponge you might have in your bathroom or even kitchen right now.

  Stop & Shop might take a while to catch on.

  “I didn’t bring it to anyone’s attention,” Jack writes, “but I did return to the store the next day and found that the display was still up and stocked.”

  
  
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by Mary Beth Quirk

via Consumerist