Woolworths has been slammed online after an outraged shopper posted a photo showing hundreds of bananas packaged in plastic.
The image of the bananas, stacked on pallets inside an Australian supermarket, was posted to Reddit on Saturday and quickly attracted over a hundred comments.
‘Bananas now need packaging it seems,’ the user posted online.
A photo has emerged of hundreds of packaged bananas stocked in a Woolworths supermarket, sparking outrage from fruit consumers. ‘Bananas now need packaging it seems,’ a bemused shopper posted online
‘They come already pre-packaged by nature!’ someone replied.
Many lamented the overuse of plastic packaging, claiming the packaging had nothing to do with freshness and more to do with the supermarket giant maximizing profits.
The overuse of plastic in supermarkets has been a source of contention among Australian consumers.
Dozens of people posted their own theories for why the bananas were individually packaged.
‘It’s to ‘force customers to buy in awkward sizes,’ one person said.
‘Woolies (and Coles) would have been collecting the information on how many bananas most people buy per transaction, and they’ll pack them just under that number, forcing you to choose to buy two packs or go without… if they come in packs of five and you need six you have to buy ten.’
Many lamented the overuse of plastic packaging, pointing out that the packaging had nothing to do with freshness and more to do with the supermarket giant maximizing profits
Others pointed out that the packaging might ‘stop customers picking which individual bananas they want – forcing them to buy the shonky with the good.’
The progression to auto-checkouts was also a topic of discussion.
‘My guess is Coles/Woollies are slowly preparing us for an all ‘automatic check-out’: Pre-packed and priced,’ one person wrote.
‘When they are packaged then a bar-code can be scanned but if loose they can be put through as cheaper produce.’
‘I already try not to buy fruit and veg from Wollies/Coles and this might be the last straw for general groceries too,’ a disgruntled shopper said.
‘The world’s usage of plastic is completely out of control, and our recycling systems just aren’t keeping up. Already we have a massive issue with recycling.
‘Elsewhere in the world they are banning plastic. France is banning plastic cups and plates. Kenya just banned plastic bags. And we’re wrapping f*****g bananas.’
‘We will continue to work with all of our suppliers to actively pursue packaging alternatives that reduce the amount of packaging or increasing its recyclability where possible,’ a Woolworths spokeswoman told news.com.au last year.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment.
