Plastic Wrapped Fruits and Vegetables Cheaper, By Mrs Vera West

This is very odd, that that supermarkets are charging more for unpackaged fruits and vegetables, than loose produce.That is up to 70 percent more in some cases. That means more plastic, and it is generally accepted across the political divide that plastic waste is becoming a major environmental problem.So, why is this so? The SBS article extracted below does not give an answer, and common sense would have suggested that adding plastic is an extra cost re time and materials. Does the plastic increase shelf life? Perhaps a prize contest could be held to select the best answer to this oddity. Personally, I am not sure.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australians-are-charged-more-by-supermarkets-for-unpackaged-fruits-and-veg-review-finds/q349gc8wt?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0RslCBJBxS4fxXilXq5lK4ZDuVftYaxQWcPbBbqN_0AYen0HcdCF5OZkI_aem_6Vfvcz4aFCawEiisILl4QA

"Supermarkets are charging us more for unpackaged fruits and veg, review finds Supermarkets are fuelling Australia's plastic pollution by charging more for loose fruit and vegetables than those that are plastic-wrapped, a review has found.

Australian families are forking out $155 more per year to buy unpackaged fruit and vegetables, with supermarkets charging less for plastic-wrapped produce, a new review says.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society launched its second review of supermarkets' plastic use on Thursday.

It found loose fruit and vegetables are often more expensive than plastic-wrapped produce, with loose potatoes costing 53 per cent more than bagged ones.

In total, buying loose produce costs the average family $155 more a year, according to the data.

Woolworths was charging more for unpackaged fresh produce in 77 per cent of cases, higher than the overall supermarket average of 73 per cent.

Plastic pollution is an environmental crisis, polluting oceans and waterways, killing marine life and impacting human health, the society's Cip Hamilton said.

"Recent research shows that as plastic production increases, so does plastic pollution," she said.

"Supermarkets are a big contributor to the plastic problem, but they are not doing enough to cut plastic packaging and achieve the national packaging reductions targets they have supported.

"What is really disappointing is that Woolworths, Coles and Aldi are charging more for loose fruit and vegetables than plastic-wrapped produce more than 70 per cent of the time, and sometimes the price difference is startling."