Frozen food giant Iceland has announced plans to bring back the green grocer as part of efforts to eliminate plastic.

The supermarket said its latest trial will see it focus on loose fruit and vegetables as part of a target to scrap plastic packaging entirely by 2023.

It will see 35 items sold loose, and 27 lines packed in plastic-free packaging such as compostable punnets.

The trial will launch in one of Iceland’s larger stores – The Food Warehouse in North Liverpool – and will offer customers the choice to buy loose produce instead of plastic-packaged products.

It said that the prices of loose produce will be lower than those of packed equivalents in order to encourage take-up.

The trial will involve a range of plastic-free solutions, including paper bags with a tracing paper window and cellulose nets.

Examples will include moulded pulp fruit punnets with a plant-based film and recyclable paper label, reusable rubber bands used for products such as celery and spring onions and cotton nets for satsumas and onions.

The grocer follows Aldi and Lidl who have removed plastic packaging from several products in stores – although customers are still able to place their items in complimentary plastic bags if they choose to do so.

More recently, Marks & Spencer last month said it will start selling more than 90 lines of loose fruit and vegetables free of all plastic packaging, in a trial that will put the traditional greengrocer back on the shop floor and revive paper bags.

It follows in the footsteps of Morrisons who said it was bringing back traditional brown paper bags for loose fruit and vegetables in 2018, which it said would prevent 150m small plastic bags from being used every year.

Iceland has already removed plastic from certain fresh produce lines across its 900+ stores.

It said the trial has been supported by the introduction of new in-store operations including weighing and ticketing facilities, staff training and bespoke point of sale materials designed to inform customers about the initiative.

The finding’s from its latest trial will be shared with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the Government’s consultation into excessive waste.

Richard Walker, at Iceland, saod: “Over 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year and the retail industry can no longer ignore the plastics tidal wave which is coming our way. 

“We all have a part to play in tackling the issue and Iceland is constantly looking for ways to reduce its own plastic footprint, as we work towards our commitment. We are looking forward to seeing how our customers respond to the trial and taking forward learnings to inform the rest of our journey.”

Since making its commitment in January 2018, Iceland said it has reduced or removed plastic packaging across 81 lines and removed over 1,500 tonnes of plastic in its packaging.

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