Pre-peeled avocado halves on sale in a Canadian supermarket have sparked outrage after a customer took a photo of the product and posted it online.

On sale for $3.99 (£2.12) in Sobey’s stores, the fruit segments come contained in a large cardboard box wrapped in plastic.

Christine Kizik alerted the public to the product when she reposted a photo her friend had taken of the offending avocados on Sobey’s public Facebook page, expressing her surprise and disappointment at the “wasteful” packaging.

The post attracted angry comments, condemning the packaging as “the worst idea ever” and accusing Sobey’s of “taking something beautiful and delicious and making it (the packaging) wasteful".

Commenters also pointed to the potentially adverse effects on the environment, while others were concerned there may have been chemicals such as preservatives added to the product to ensure that it did not go brown after taking it out of its skin.

The avocados were compared to packages of peeled oranges on sale at Whole Foods, which withdrew the product from sale following an online backlash.

Other Facebook users suggested the pre-cut avocados may be sold in order to aid people with disabilities that reduced their manual dexterity.

Sobey’s issued a statement in response to the criticism , saying: “This product was developed for people who might be new to using avocados and for a little more convenience.

"It eliminates the guess work when it comes to ripeness and any challenges if you are not familiar with peeling and seeding a fresh avocado.