A British farmer has managed to grow an onion that will hardly cause tears when chopped and won't leave the mouth with pungent breath for long.

The website of British supermarket chain, Asda Stores Ltd says the onion -- aptly named the Asda Sweet Red -- has been selectively grown to contain "lower pungency levels" than the garden-variety kind.

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It means handling and chopping the bulb will barely cause any tears and diners won't have to worry about "onion breath" after having meals rich with the vegetable's tangy flavor.

The store says the upmarket new variant is also crunchier, milder and juicier than a standard red bulb.

Forty tons of the new variety will hit Asda shelves this weekend.

British cultivator Alastair Findlay worked on the onion in the last 20 years at his farm cooperative, Bedfordshire Growers.

He sank his teeth into up to 500 onion bulbs every season to pick those with lower pungency in his effort to perfect the new breed.  His fellow growers are presumably relieved that his breeding program has borne fruit.

A vegetable buyer at Asda said the chain is "incredibly proud" to have this onion and encouraged Alastair on his bulb breeding mission.

He added that Britain's very first sweet red onion is a marvelous achievement. Like Americans, the British have a sweeter palate, so they'll like the onion's tangy flavor without the strong acidity.