Morrisons, the fourth-largest supermarket chain in the UK, is to roll out the option of loose fruit and vegetables across more stores.
Shoppers will have the option of buying loose items for self-bagging or using recyclable paper bags. Products in plastic bags will remain available.
The move follows 10-month trials at three stores, in Skipton, Guisley and St Ives, which saw a 40% increase in sales of loose products.
The option will be introduced at 60 Morrisons stores in 2019. The range will include 127 varieties of fruit and vegetables.
Speaking about the move, Drew Kirk, fruit and veg director at Morrisons, said: “We’re creating an area of our greengrocery with no plastic where [customers] can pick as much or as little as they like.
“We’re going back to traditional greengrocery and we hope customers appreciate the choice.”
The ‘buy bagless’ shelves are forecast to save three tonnes of plastic each week, or about 150 tonnes per year.
Currently Morrisons operates about 490 stores across the UK.