Packaging food is a minefield.

Providing produce to our customers with minimal packaging waste is really important to us. We’ve been working across the store to reduce packaging where we can and have come up with some new options which have already been introduced  or will be in the very near future!

Fruit & Veg

Unfortunately some veggies last longer and look better if they are covered up. We try to keep this to a minimum and, for the produce we don’t grow ourselves, work with the suppliers to reduce packaging waste wherever possible. Sometimes plastic is the only option but we are looking at sourcing bags which are made of natural materials.It is mostly salad leaves and delicate greens that need protecting and we have been trialling out some new packaging options, which we’re really excited to tell you about!

First up is the new Bio-Bag which is made of thistle grown on non-arable land and are certified compostable and biodegradable according to the European Standard EN 134532. They will compost down completely in both industrial compostors and home compost piles, leaving no harmful plastic residues behind.

Next is the Direct Packaging Nature Flex bags. This bio-film is based on renewable resources (wood-pulp from managed plantations) and is home compostable (conforms to EN13432).

Some chard leaves are currently packed in to the two test bags next to a control plastic bag – whichever withstands the test and is the most competitive on price will win! We’ll keep you updated.

Loose Goods

In an effort to reduce resource consumption we have started to charge for the paper bags in our loose good section which were previously free. We hope this will gently encourage people to bring in their own packaging! We have also started selling Locavore branded reusable produce bags which can be filled and refilled over and over again. We already charge for egg boxes and sell reusable glass jars, oil bottles and milk bottles so it makes sense for us to introduce this small charge.

We decided against charging for bags in the fruit and veg and bakery sections.

As always do let us know if you have any questions or comments on how we can improve!