UK supermarket chain Iceland Foods is to launch the trial of an in-store plastic free Iceland greengrocer aisle to help eliminate its plastic packaging use.

The trial will launch in Iceland’s Liverpool The Food Warehouse concept store and will see 35 produce lines sold loose and 27 lines sold in plastic-free packaging. The frozen food retailer aims to sell loose produce lines at a cheaper price than its packaged equivalent to encourage customers to go plastic free.

Paper bags with tracing paper windows will also be introduced alongside compostable moulded pulp fruit punnets, reusable plant-based rubber bands for produce such as celery and spring onions, and cellulose and cotton nets for produce such as satsumas and onions.

Iceland launched a customer survey to gather overall feedback and opinions on the trial and compostable packaging. The feedback will be shared with the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the Government’s plastic waste scheme.

Iceland managing director Richard Walker said: “Over 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans every year and the retail industry can no longer ignore the plastics tidal wave which is coming our way.

“We all have a part to play in tackling the issue and Iceland is constantly looking for ways to reduce its own plastic footprint, as we work towards our commitment. We are looking forward to seeing how our customers respond to the trial and taking forward learnings to inform the rest of our journey.”

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The Iceland greengrocer trial is part of the chain’s commitment to remove plastic packaging from Iceland-own label products by the end of 2023.

Iceland has already eliminated plastic from particular fresh produce lines in over 900 stores, introducing a recyclable band for bananas and cotton net bags with paper labels for its lemons last year. Iceland was also the first UK supermarket to launch in-store reverse vending machines to encourage plastic bottle recycling.