A convenience product hailed as "the new way to eat fruit" has been unveiled by Capespan.

The snack has been christened Fruiteezi and consists of an 80g stick of fresh, ripe pineapple sold in a sealed plastic pouch. It was the brainchild of Chris Grace, an independent consultant.

Manufactured at partner Superior Foods' custom-built £1.5m plant in Southall, the product is aimed at health-conscious snackers. The suppliers hope that it will revolutionise the way consumers look at fruit and encourage them to buy Fruiteezi in cafes and to eat at home, in lunchboxes and in schools.

"Pineapple is the fastest-growing fresh fruit in retail, with a sales increase of 41% last year," said Allan Robinson, Superior Foods' general sales manager. "But our research found that people didn't like the preparation required and weren't sure how to cut it.

"Fruiteezi goes through a major technical process to give a 100% yield from fresh pineapple. Its appeal cuts across every single sector and age group and we have already had interest from gyms and cafes. We believe that exotic fruits have the potential to rival sales of soft fruit at 30,000t."

Fruiteezi has a seven-day shelf life if it is kept chilled and will retail from 79p to 99p per stick. The portion size has been tailored to count as one of the five helpings of fruit and vegetables recommended each day to remain healthy.

Robinson also pointed out its high vitamin C content and bromalene, which has been connected with healing in humans.

Alistair Philipson, Capespan commercial director, said: "This is real innovation, making fresh, prepared pineapple truly accessible and convenient for the first time. I'm confident that it will receive an enthusiastic response from UK consumers."

Capespan is pressing on with the launch of the range, which consists of only one product at present. Four more are on the way to provide the full five-a-day.