Minister Warns Plastic Ban On Fruit And Veg Could Lead To More Food Waste

A proposal to ban plastic packaging on fruit and vegetables weighing under 1.5kg could have unintended consequences for food waste, a Welsh minister has cautioned.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies issued the warning in response to a call from independent Senedd member Rhys ab Owen, who urged ministers to make all retailers sell smaller quantities of produce loose to help cut plastic waste.

Ab Owen told the Senedd that “plastic packaging, very often, is entirely wasteful, is unnecessary, and is purposeless.” He argued that many independent outlets already operate without plastic and that supermarkets should follow suit.

“Greengrocers, market stalls and many corner shops already operate, and have over the years operated, on the principle of buying only what you want from a crate of produce that isn’t wrapped in plastic,” he said. “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.”

Ab Owen added that a new law could allow Welsh ministers to adapt the list of produce affected as they saw what worked in practice.

However, Irranca-Davies, who is also the Welsh government’s Climate Change and Rural Affairs Secretary, said that environmental charity Wrap, which has advised on packaging reduction, had raised concerns about such a move.

He told the chamber that Wrap had questioned 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?”

The charity also warned that retailers might raise unit prices to offset reduced sales of pre-packaged produce, potentially hitting low-income households hardest.

“Retailers could increase unit prices to compensate for lower sales of fruit and veg sold loose, which could disproportionately affect those on lower incomes whose grocery bills tend to make up a larger proportion of their limited income,” Irranca-Davies said.

He also highlighted public attitudes to hygiene as an important factor, adding: “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. For many, myself included, this wouldn’t be an issue. However, understanding wider public perceptions, particularly in modern retail environments, is an important consideration that we need to think about.”

Ab Owen, however, pressed for faster progress, noting: “I think we need bolder governance here in Wales, where people are willing to make decisions, where they don’t wait and wait and wait until they know 100% that this is the right thing,” he said. “Sometimes, we just need to get on and do it.”

Wrap has previously recommended a “phased approach” to reducing plastic packaging, beginning with 21 fruit and vegetable types, including exemptions for apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, onions and potatoes.

The debate underscores the delicate balance between tackling plastic pollution and avoiding unintended increases in food waste — a challenge policymakers across the UK continue to wrestle with.

Source: BBC News