Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has announced that it is trialling a plastic-free fruit and vegetable aisle at its Hoofddorp store.
The retailer, which is part of the Ahold Delhaize group, pledged in September of last year to reduce the percentage of packaging material that it uses by 25% by the year 2025.
This move, which will see some 100 SKUs in the fruit and vegetable department be shed of their packaging, is the first step in understanding what the impact of removing plastic packaging has on shelf life and freshness, the retailer reported.
Customer Response
"Especially with fruit and vegetables, many customers wonder whether the plastic packaging is really needed," said Marit van Egmond, CEO of Albert Heijn.
"In more than 150 stores, we currently use 'dry misting' – a refined spray of water that keeps vegetables fresh for longer. We are now going to test whether the combination of 'dry misting' and no plastic packaging promotes quality and shelf life in such a way that we can start saving on plastic packaging," added van Egmond.
Starting 25 March and running until Sunday 28 April, SKUs that will be shed of their plastic packaging include carrots, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, celery, oranges, pears, apples, and various other fruits and vegetables.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
