Anger as Asda axes loose veg

SHOPPERS have complained of being forced to buy more than they need after Asda stopped selling some loose fruit and vegetables.

Customers could not buy loose potatoes, courgettes and apples in store, while single carrots and mushrooms were unavailable online. Asda has already been forced into a U-turn on some items despite claiming its research showed that shoppers prefer buying packs.

The grocer last night confirmed it had brought back loose carrots in response to customer feedback. It is thought shoppers had been tearing off packaging in attempts to buy smaller quantities.

Some suggested that cutting food waste had been behind the supermarket’s decision, because customers would not be able to choose better looking produce over uglier, older items.

But the store was criticised for the environmental impact of more packaging. One shopper tweeted: ‘Why are you reducing the range of loose veg when we all need to reduce our plastic consumption?’

An Asda spokesman said: ‘Our plan was to listen to customer feedback on this trial before making any permanent changes and we will do this.’