Buying fruit and veg without plastic wrapping? You’re paying extra for it

Supermarkets are charging shoppers more for loose fresh produce than for the same items wrapped in plastic, sparking a warning that customers are being pushed towards products that contribute to the environmental crisis.

Plastic-wrapped fruit and vegetables were cheaper than loose produce 73 per cent of the time, according to a survey by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Boomerang Alliance.

Tomatoes were the only fresh food item found to be cheaper when sold loose.

As shoppers seek out savings during a cost-of-living crisis, the survey found that loose potatoes were over 50 per cent more expensive than the same quantity wrapped in plastic, while oranges and carrots were 40 per cent dearer, and onions 30 per cent.

Price differences ranged from a few cents to as much as $1.48 a kilogram, with the average cost of buying loose produce $155 extra over a year.

Tomatoes were the only fresh food item found to be cheaper when sold loose.

The 2024 Unwrapped: Plastic Use in Australian Supermarkets report used volunteer shoppers to uncover price discrepancies at more than 2000 stores.

“In 73 per cent of assessed cases, loose fresh produce was more expensive than the pre-packaged alternative,” the report said.

“For customers to have the genuine opportunity to avoid plastic, loose products must be cost competitive.”

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has promised laws to reduce plastic packaging. She is working with state governments on changes, with advice to the industry expected to be released by the end of the year.

“Supermarkets shouldn’t wrap fresh produce in plastic – bananas and oranges come in their packaging,” Plibersek said.

“Business must do more and take greater responsibility for the 6.7 million tonnes of packaging they place on the market every year – and supermarkets should resume in-store collection of soft plastics right now.”

At the current trajectory, plastic pollution on land will double by 2040 and plastics entering the world’s oceans are set to triple in that time. Within 30 years, plastic pollution will surpass the weight of all the world’s fish.

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths said it was cheaper for them to sell larger volumes of pre-packaged goods than individual pieces.

A Coles spokesperson said the company was working to reduce plastic from its stores. It had removed 230 million plastic shopping bags from circulation in one year and cut 600,000 plastic laundry scoops from a selection of Coles laundry powders.

A Woolworths spokesperson said the company had cut 1600 tonnes of virgin plastic from its own-brand range since 2018 and averaged 51 per cent recycled content for the packaging it could control.

An Aldi spokesperson said 84 per cent of its own-brand packaging was now recyclable, reusable or compostable.

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