A proposal to ban retailers in Wales from selling fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic has prompted warnings that the move could lead to higher food waste and household costs.
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies responded to a call from independent Senedd member Rhys ab Owen, who urged the government to require shops to sell fruit and vegetables loose when purchases are under 1.5 kilograms. Ab Owen said that "plastic packaging, very often, is entirely wasteful, is unnecessary, and is purposeless."
However, Irranca-Davies said that environmental charity Wrap, which previously suggested a phased approach to reducing plastic use, had raised questions about whether such a policy could have unintended effects. "They asked whether a 1.5kg rule could inadvertently encourage consumers to purchase larger packs, potentially having the opposite effect of increasing food waste, increasing consumption that is not needed, increasing purchase that is not needed, and increasing food waste and household costs as well, while we have cost-of-living issues?" he said.
Wrap's 2023 report recommended introducing a ban gradually, starting with 21 fruit and vegetable types, with exemptions including apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, onions, and potatoes.
Ab Owen told the Senedd that greengrocers, markets, and local shops already offer unwrapped produce and that consumers should return to traditional shopping habits. "That's how fruits and vegetables have been bought across the centuries. That's how our grandparents shopped. It's how we and our children should shop," he said.
He also suggested that Welsh ministers could adjust the list of regulated items based on how the policy performs in practice.
Irranca-Davies, who also serves as Climate Change and Rural Affairs Secretary, added that Wrap had warned of potential price increases for loose produce to compensate for lower sales of packaged fruit and vegetables. This, he said, could "disproportionately affect those on lower incomes whose grocery bills tend to make up a larger proportion of their limited income."
The minister also noted that consumer perceptions of hygiene in handling loose produce would need to be addressed. "I'm used to going to a local grocer – a local fruit and veg supplier; loose vegetables put into a paper bag, and so on," he said. "However, understanding wider public perceptions, particularly in modern retail environments, is an important consideration that we need to think about."
Ab Owen said he hoped the Welsh government would take a more proactive stance. "I think we need bolder governance here in Wales, where people are willing to make decisions," he said. "Sometimes, we just need to get on and do it."
Source: BBC
