Morrisons supermarket introducing plastic-free fruit and veg in all UK stores

Great idea!

Morrisons is rolling out entirely plastic-free fruit and vegetables across many of their stores.

With so many of us wanting to cut down on plastic, the leading supermarket has decided to go back to a ‘traditional greengrocery’ set up.

This decision has come after a successful ten-month trial in three Morrisons stores; Skipton, Guiseley and St Ives.

The trial was so successful that Morrisons saw a 40 per cent increase in the purchase of fruit and veg, which is good news all around.

Shoppers are able to pick produce up loose, and put them in their own bags or recyclable paper ones that are provided in store.

As a result of this, the supermarket is hopeful that other stores will join in, saving an estimated three tonnes of plastic a week.

The plastic-free section will sit alongside the packaged veg, so shoppers still have the choice. However, this could be an excellent way to encourage consumers to go plastic-free.

Credit: Morrisons Corporate

These loose fruit and veg sections are being rolled out across 60 Morrisons stores throughout 2019. They will then be introduced elsewhere as part of the supermarket’s nationwide store refurbishment programme.

Options on offer in these areas include carrots, potatoes and vegetables, as well as more seasonal vegetables. There’s lots of fruit on offer too, including apples, pears, oranges, persimmons, and more.

Drew Kirk, Fruit and Veg Director at Morrisons said: ‘Many of our customers would like the option of buying their fruit and veg loose. So we’re creating an area of our greengrocery with no plastic where they can pick as much or as little as they like.’

This isn’t the first time Morrisons have made an effort to reduce plastic. Last month, they introduced paper bags to replace their 5p plastic bags.

This decision came after shoppers informed the supermarket that their primary concern was reducing plastic.

What do you think of these plans to go plastic-free? Let us know over on Facebook!

Lucy Buglass
Digital Writer

Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer for What's on TV, Goodto.com, and Woman&Home. After finishing her degree in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University she moved to London to begin her career. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases.