Morrisons to unveil plastic-free fruit and veg zones in UK first

21 May 2019 --- Morrisons is set to become the first UK supermarket to introduce plastic-free fruit and veg zones across many of its stores. Customers will be able to choose from up to 127 varieties of fruit and veg and buy them loose or put them in recyclable paper bags.

The move follows a ten-month trial in three Morrisons stores in Skipton, Guiseley and St Ives where the amount of loose fruit and veg bought by customers increased by an average of 40 percent. The new “buy bagless” fruit and veg shelves are expected to result in a similar switch from bagged to loose – saving an estimated three tons of plastic a week, equating to 156 tons a year.

Customers will see an entire section of the fruit and veg department with no plastic. There will be a neighboring section where customers can still buy packaged veg if they choose. When customers buy loose fruit and veg, they can either take them through the checkout loose or bag them in Morrisons’ recyclable paper bags.

This is the latest announcement from Morrisons – which made changes that will remove 9,000 tons of unnecessary or problematic plastic each year. This figure includes 174 million plastic produce bags removed from fruit and veg aisles, and 600 tons of unrecyclable polystyrene removed from branded food and drink products. A further 1,300 tons of plastic will be removed as a result of the launch of paper carrier bags this month.

The loose fruit and veg zones will be rolled out in 60 Morrisons stores during the course of 2019. They will then continue to be introduced as part of the supermarket’s ongoing store refurbishment program nationwide – saving even more plastic over time.

The loose veg range includes everyday essentials such as carrots, potatoes and onions as well as more unusual seasonal varieties such as celeriac. Fruit will include apples, pears and oranges, plus figs, persimmons and pomegranates. The expansion of the range means that for the first time, customers will also be able to buy loose cauliflower, white cabbage and chestnut mushrooms.

“Many of our customers would like the option of buying their fruit and veg loose,” says Drew Kirk, Fruit and Veg Director at Morrisons. “So we’re creating an area of our greengrocery with no plastic where they can pick as much or as little as they like. We’re going back to using traditional greengrocery and we hope customers appreciate the choice.”

Morrisons’ plastic reduction initiatives are detailed in its 2018-19 Corporate Responsibility Review. The review also details that the group has reduced carbon emissions by 45 percent since 2005.

Another UK supermarket working to eradicate single-use plastic packaging is Thornton’s Budgens store in Camden’s Belsize Park. In November 2018, the Camden store became one of the first in the world to introduce a dedicated Plastic-Free Zone, accumulatng more than 1,700 plastic-free products, ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables to wild game such as squirrel and wild boar. A range of plastic-alternative materials, including beechwood nets, pulp, paper, metal, glass, cellulose and carton board are being used to package the products.