Supermarkets are charging shoppers more for loose produce than the same items covered in plastic.
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.
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.The 2024 Unwrapped: Plastic Use in Australian Supermarkets report used volunteer shoppers to uncover price discrepancies at more than 2000 stores. “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.
“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.”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.
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