WRAP (Waste Resource Action Programme) has published a policy recommendation paper to support action towards its call for fruit and veg to be sold without packaging.

The recommendation is for a packaging ban on 21 fruit and veg items, to be developed via a formal consultation process. This recommendation has been created in consultation with industry stakeholders from across the value chain. Selling these 21 items loose has the potential to save approximately 100,000 tonnes of edible fruit and vegetables from being wasted annually in people's homes as well as saving 13,000 tonnes of single use plastic film. Today’s paper is supported by an article from WRAP’s CEO, Harriet Lamb.

The 21 items are: Apples, aubergines, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, garlic, ginger, lemons, limes, mangos, onions, oranges, parsnips, pears, peppers, potatoes, squash, swede and salad tomatoes. 

WRAP has identified that, to drive action across the whole UK food system and help overcome the challenges faced by industry by creating a level playing field, policy change will unlock action that is essential to enabling people to choose what they’ll use and buy more uncut fruit and veg loose. WRAP’s recommendation is for a policy that bans packaging.

WRAP’s previous ground-breaking research into the relationship between plastic packaging and five fruit and vegetable items identified the potential to reduce household food waste by removing the packaging on uncut fresh fruit and veg, enabling us to buy what we need as well as the ‘bonus’ benefit of eliminating a significant amount of unnecessary single use packaging.

WRAP then developed The Pathway to Selling More Uncut Fruit and Veg Loose with the ambition of 50% of uncut fruit and veg to be sold loose (units/kgs) by end of 2030 (sales volume). Through this work, industry repeatedly expressed to WRAP how important policy would be in this area to achieve the ambition of a fruit and veg aisle where produce is mostly sold without packaging.

WRAP has worked with Policy Connect and industry stakeholders (suppliers, retail and government) to explore and assess various policy mechanisms. Based on this assessment, WRAP is recommending that the government consider implementing a packaging ban on the items listed above by 2030.

In terms of next steps, WRAP wants there to be a formal consultation and full economic assessment across the value chain, including continued and enhanced support for preparing shoppers for the changes.

Part of this support includes Food Waste Action Week which is the flagship annual event from WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste.  The campaign helps households develop the tools they need to cut food waste and save money. As part of WRAP’s wider work on policy around loose produce, from the 17th – 23rd March 2025, Food Waste Action Week will continue to focus on raising awareness of the benefits of buying loose fruit and veg.