We’re forced to pay more for veg without plastic packaging

SUPERMARKETS are punishing shoppers who want to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging by charging more for some fruit and veg that is sold loose.

In theory, produce such as apples, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers should be cheaper if loose because there is no plastic tray or wrapper.

But a study has found stores often charge more for produce that comes without packaging – penalising those who want to help the environment.

For example, six Gala apples were dearer bought loose rather than in a plastic packet at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi.

And peppers were pricier loose, rather than in a plastic pack of three, at the same stores as well as Lidl and the Co-op. A pack of four Tesco vine tomatoes cost £2.39 per kilo, while its loose equivalents were £2.51 per kilo. At Sainsbury’s, salad tomatoes were £1.63 per kilo in a pack, but £2 per kilo loose.

Baking potatoes were costlier on a per-kilo basis loose at Waitrose and Asda. And avocados were more expensive sold loose by Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, M&S, and Lidl. Supermarkets say packaging protects produce and ensures it lasts longer.

The study was carried out by money bloggers working with consumer campaigner Helen Dewdney, who goes under the alias The Complaining Cow and is the author of How to Complain: The Essential Consumer Guide to Getting Refunds, Redress and Results.

She said: ‘No retailers should be penalising customers by charging them more for buying products without plastic wrapping.’

Emma Maslin, of The Money Whisperer blog, says: ‘If I’m missing a pepper for a meal, or a piece of fruit for a lunchbox at the end of the week, I find it disappointing that most fruit and veg is sold packaged and not loose.’

The British Retail Consortium’s director of food policy, Andrew Opie, said: ‘Packaged fruit and vegetables can often be cheaper [for stores] because products are bought in bulk and there’s less handling and waste involved.’

Tesco said: ‘Varieties and specifications of fruit and veg vary – this is labelled alongside the price of packaged and loose alternatives.’

Some stores claimed the study did not always compare like with like. Others, such as Lidl, Waitrose, M&S, Aldi and the Co- op, said discrepancies were due to loose items, such as baking potatoes, being bigger. But many products were dearer loose – based on both weight as well as quantity.