Supermarkets are penalising environmentally conscious shoppers by charging them up to 80 per cent more for loose fruit and vegetables, it has emerged today.
Analysis of items sold in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s reveal that customers are paying a premium for loose produce compared to items shrink wrapped and packaged in plastic bags and plastic mesh netting.
Three peppers bought in a non-recyclable bag at Tesco currently costs shoppers 91p but if they pick up the same number from the loose section it would set them back £1.65 – a hike of 81 per cent.
Furious campaigners have now hit out at the supermarkets, accusing them of ‘shooting themselves and their green policies in the foot.’
These wrapped items from Asda cost £3.48 compared to £5.65 for the equivalent loose items
Supermarkets are penalising shoppers by charging them up to 80% more for plastic-free loose fruit and vegetables – as seen in these Tesco receipts comparing the same items
These loose vegetables from Tesco cost £3.80 – compared to £2.62 for the same items in plastic, right
At Asda four lemons in a plastic net cost just 79p, while people buying them loose have to stump up £1.20 – more than 50 per cent more.
At Sainsbury’s two loose avocados cost £2, or £1.50 when sold in plastic in a cardboard tray.
Supermarkets claim products wrapped in plastic are often different size or weight to those sold loose.
Shoppers in Colchester, Essex, where the comparisons were carried out. have called for the supermarkets to do more to cut the plastic use.
Caroline Tilley, 33, ditched supermarkets for a farm shop earlier this year after she found she could not buy veg without it being covered in plastic.
She said: ‘It’s great to see supermarkets are changing for the better by reducing their plastic packaging and I really hope this continues and quickly.
‘But it does really feel like they are giving with one hand and taking away with the other by penalising people for simply trying to do the right thing.
‘It’s expensive to feed a family as it is and people understandably look for cheaper food.
‘If supermarkets are making it difficult for those who are trying to help the environment by choosing fruit and veg which is not pre-packaged – by upping the price – then they are shooting themselves and their green policies in the foot.
‘It’s like a tax and one people understandably won’t pay. It would be great to see equal prices across the board until plastic is finally thrown out altogether.’
These loose items – courgettes, kiwi fruit, avocados and peppers – from Sainsbury’s cost £7.50
But the same items from Sainsbury’s cost £5.20 when wrapped in plastic
Government figures show 2.26 million tonnes of plastic packaging are used in the UK each year, with the ‘vast majority’ made from new plastic, rather than recycled materials.
Friends of the Earth plastic campaigner Julian Kirby said: ‘Charging customers more for choosing plastic-free products is completely ridiculous. It’s little wonder shops are failing to deal with the scourge of pointless plastic.
‘Boris Johnson should show leadership on this issue too by supporting new legislation to phase-out the use of all but the most essential plastic.’
Louise Edge, head of Greenpeace UK’s ocean plastics campaign, added: ‘Supermarkets should not be wrapping fruit and vegetables in excessive plastic at all, let alone encouraging people to opt for plastic packaging by making it the cheaper option.
‘Sainsbury’s and Tesco have already been called out on this, yet they still haven’t fixed it.
‘If supermarkets are serious about tackling their plastic problem, they must eliminate unnecessary and unrecyclable plastic by 2020 – and selling loose fruit and veg is an easy first step.’
The Government announced plans on Monday to tackle single-use plastics, with more than £100m set to be invested from the public and private sector.
While 600g (1.3lb) of clementines costs £1.35, unwrapped they are £3 a kilo (2.2lbs) – meaning that each one is approximately 5p when bought without ocean-polluting plastic
Similarly, bagged clementines were 17p each, versus 22p for loose ones. Tesco said bagged fruit can be cheaper because it is purchased in higher bulk
The issue of the higher cost of loose fruit and vegetables has been raised repeatedly by shoppers, including TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
The shopper spotted the differently-priced products at a Tesco in Litherland, Merseyside
An Asda spokesman said: ‘Removing packaging from some fruit and veg can drastically reduce shelf life and increase food waste, which is why we’re working to find more sustainable alternatives to plastic’
Tesco said it was currently trialling an expanded loose produce offering in a number of stores
An Asda spokesman said: ‘We’ve removed 6,500 tonnes of plastic packaging in a year, so where we can take plastic off without increasing waste, we will.
‘However, removing packaging from some fruit and veg can drastically reduce shelf life and increase food waste, which is why we’re working to find more sustainable alternatives to plastic.’
Sainsbury’s said its fruit or vegetables in packaging are often different sizes or specifications than those which are loose.
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We’re currently trialling an expanded loose produce offering in a number of stores in Watford and Swindon, where we have removed plastic packaging from 45 foods where loose alternatives are available.
‘The items include apples, onions, mushrooms, peppers, bananas and avocados. We are monitoring how customers respond and also the impact of waste.’
Waitrose is to test ‘refill stations’ on a range of products in a move against waste and packaging, including frozen pick and mix vegetables