A supermarket chain has been slammed for selling PEELED onions – in plastic packaging.
Customers have criticised Lidl for the “unnecessary” use of wrapping on its ‘ready to cook naked onions’.
The two-pack of peeled veg costs 79p – compared to 55p for four large, unpeeled onions in store.
Twitter users expressed disgust at the goods – produced by the firm’s brand of fresh fruit and vegetables, Oaklands.
Winnie Courtene-Jones, who posted an image of the onions, said: “Found this #pointlessplastic monstrosity in @LidlUK this morning 😵 seriously?!
“Two peeled whole onions on a plastic tray wrapped in #plastic film 😡 no @lidl! Just no, I don’t have words for this.”
Angela Fay said in response: “NAKED ONIONS???? Just how lazy and stupid are people these days? Consumerism gone mad.”
David Rose described it as “unacceptable”, adding: “Just as I was singing the praises of @LidlUK and their wonderful unwrapped veg, I come across this monstrosity – naked onions!!!
“Remove the perfectly good protection & then add plastic protection.”
Svitlana Yarmolchuk said: “Not just wasteful but also poor value for money, you can normally get a 1kg bag of onions at @LidlUK for about the same amount. Please don’t add to #plasticpollution.”
The Environment Agency announced £750k funding to tackle plastic pollution on Friday.
Their aims include the “promotion of better environmental practices in business and a reduction in plastic waste from the start of the manufacturing process.”
A Lidl spokesperson said: “At Lidl UK we are proud to have one of the highest proportions of loose fruit and vegetables of all British supermarkets, and continually test and trial the removal of packaging throughout the range.
”We remain mindful that packaging can be beneficial in optimising shelf life and helping to reduce food waste, both in store and at home, so we are also working closely with both our suppliers and industry partners WRAP, to increase the proportion of recyclable material used.
“To meet consumer demand and market trends, we are constantly exploring opportunities to enhance our product range and provide our customers with added convenience, whilst always being conscious of packaging and food waste considerations.
”As such, this product, which is equivalent to pre-prepared options already available at other supermarkets, is being piloted in a select number of stores on a trial basis only. Following the trial, all customer feedback will be considered.”
Louise Edge, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said:
“A truckload of plastic waste enters our oceans every minute, much of it packaging, and it poses a threat to everything from the smallest plankton to the biggest whale.
“Whilst some people have great difficulty peeling and chopping vegetables, and so get real benefits from pre-prepared versions, the bulk of customers are paying double just to save a minute or two’s work in the kitchen.
“There are two obvious ways to improve this situation. Supermarkets need to significantly reduce the amount of packaging they use, make a lot less of it from plastic and make all of it recyclable, and those of us who are physically capable of chopping our own vegetables should think seriously about the costs and benefits of buying pre-prepared, plastic-packed veg.”
