Before supermarkets took over the high street, you could expect to find greengrocers in most town centres. Now, Iceland is harking back to old times with a new range of loose fruit and veg that’ll be even cheaper than the packaged equivalents.
The retailer has launched a plastic-free greengrocer trial at its ‘Food Warehouse’ store in north Liverpool, and will sell 35 different loose fruit and veg lines. There will also be 27 lines in plastic-free packaging including paper bags with a tracing paper window, compostable punnets, and cotton and cellulose nets.
Celery and spring onions will be sold in rubber bands, and satsumas and onions will be sold in nets as part of the trial.
Iceland, which has more than 900 stores in the UK, said the move builds towards its goal of removing plastic packaging from all ow-brand products by the end of 2023. Last year, it removed plastic packaging from bananas and lemons across all stores.
“Over 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year and the retail industry can no longer ignore the plastics tidal wave which is coming our way,” Iceland’s managing director, Richard Walker, said in a statement. “We all have a part to play in tackling the issue and Iceland is constantly looking for ways to reduce its own plastic footprint, as we work towards our commitment.”
Supermarkets have been ditching plastic over the past year, to appease public concerns over environmental impact. Marks & Spencer launched a similar trial on 90 fruit and veg lines in January, and Morrisons replaced plastic bags with paper bags for its loose fruit and veg in June.