Almost three-quarters of Brits (74%) say supermarkets should be doing more to sell fruit and veg without plastic packaging, according to the latest report from Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap).
The research was published by Wrap’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, as part of the fourth annual Food Waste Action Week which sees it campaigning to cut food waste in the UK.
The data shows that 74% of UK citizens say the likes of Tesco, Asda Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets should make better efforts to sell fruit and veg without packaging, while 65% would buy more loose fruit and veg if it were offered for sale.
Nearly half (44%) said the top barrier to not buying loose was that there was not enough loose fresh produce on offer
Supported by celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo, Love Food Hate Waste looks to encourage people to embrace the mantra ‘choose what you’ll use’ and only buy what they intend to eat.
D’Acampo said too many consumers do their shopping on “autopilot” and urged them to step away from pre-packed produce.
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Wrap says that increasing sales loose fruit and veg could reduce plastic packing by 8,800 tonnes a year, while 60,000 tonnes of food waste could be prevented if all apples, potatoes and bananas were sold loose.
It also pointed out that shoppers spend £17 billion every year on food that ends up in the bin; enough to fill the 90,000-seat Wembley stadium eight times.
Jackie Bailey, senior campaign manager, Love Food Hate Waste, said: “We know that choosing what we will use will significantly cut the amount of food ending up in the bin – now is the time for retailers and shoppers to make that a reality.
“Increasing loose fruit and veg offerings in store will not only help slash waste, reduce hard to recycle plastics, and stop tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2e emissions, it will also respond to what shoppers would like to see. It’s a win-win situation.”
Environment minister Robbie Moore said he was “shocked” that households are throwing away £1,000 a year in good food.
“We are committed to halving food waste by 2030 – which is why it’s so important to work together with the public and the food industry to take action on this critical issue.”
