Vegetables without packaging play a leading role

According to the new rules, grocery stores should increase the proportion of fresh products offered without packaging. The aim of the measure is to reduce food waste and packaging waste. According to the plans, by 2025-r3, the proportion of fruit and vegetables sold without packaging may reach 30 percent, and in three years, up to 80 percent of all packaging may be removed, reports the British retail trade portal Retail Gazette.

Grocery stores will be obliged to sell those fruits and vegetables without packaging, for which this is technically and economically feasible. However, it is expected that certain products, such as cucumbers or berries, will be exceptions, as packaging increases their shelf life.

The proposal encourages grocers to use recyclable or paper-based packaging. Although the British government’s moves are being hailed as a fight against food waste and plastics, advocacy organizations warn that new regulations must be proportionate and aligned with economic realities.

The aim of the measure is to allow consumers to buy only as much goods as they actually need, thereby reducing food waste and environmentally damaging packaging. In the UK, an average of 76 kilograms of food is thrown away per person every year, causing serious environmental and economic problems. With the introduction of new measures, they hope that this number will decrease and that packaging will become more environmentally friendly throughout the country.