Aldi makes major change to fruit and vegetables across select stores

06 September 2023 , 10:49

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Aldi is making a change to the way it sells some fruit and vegetables from this week (Image: Getty Images)

Aldi is making a change to the way it sells some fruit and vegetables from this week.

The discount supermarket change will be selling more of its fruit and veg items as loose produce rather than in bags in a bid to reduce plastic waste. Starting this week, produce including garlic, limes, lemons and oranges will be introduced as loose in select Aldi stores across the country.

Aldi stores in the North East, Cumbria, Yorkshire, South East, and London will begin offering loose garlic and limes. Shoppers in the East of England, East Midlands and London will be able to purchase loose garlic, limes, oranges and lemons.

Aldi says that if rolled out across all stores, it will remove a further 94 tonnes of plastic packaging every year. The supermarket chain already offers loose produce options on a number of ranges, including potatoes, peppers and avocadoes however the move is another step in its work in removing plastic waste.

Luke Emery, plastics and packaging director at Aldi, said: “At Aldi, we are committed to removing plastic packaging wherever possible and we are constantly reviewing ways to make a real difference. By trialling these packaging-free produce lines, we hope to help customers cut back on unnecessary plastic when shopping at Aldi.”

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Aldi has not confirmed how long the trial will last for and how it will decide on whether to roll out the move across all of its 990 UK stores. We will update this article when we know more.

All major UK supermarkets have introduced changes across their stores to cut their plastic waste. Most chains have now replaced coloured milk bottle lids with a clear alternative that is easier to recycle. Many have also changed the packaging for their minced meat products - including Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Coop.

Iceland has vowed to remove plastic packaging from all of its own label ranges by the end of 2023. Tesco has also vowed to remove plastic from five billion products in its stores by 2025 with Sainsbury's aiming to reduce plastic in its own brand products by 50% by the same time. Asda has also committed to cutting plastic with the store planning to remove three billion pieces from its own brand products by 2025.

Ruby Flanagan