“Food in the nude”: With this new trend, a supermarket chain in New Zealand offers all its fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging. The reactions are amazing.

New World leads by example

Plastic bags have been gone from most supermarkets in New Zealand for some time. The government also approved an exit for all retailers from July 1, 2019. The supermarket chain “New World”, the New Zealand counterpart to EDEKA, even goes one step further.

Under the title “Food in the nude” (in English: “Naked food”), New World has declared war on unnecessary plastic packaging: In the branches, almost all fruit and vegetables are offered unpackaged. This project is another step toward Zero Waste.

Food in the nude is also financially worthwhile

Nigel Bond, the owner of the New World store in Bishopdale, Christchurch, was initially unsure whether the move away from plastic could have a negative impact on sales. But on the contrary: the project inspires customers and sales have even increased. “After we introduced the concept, we found that spring onion sales had increased by 300 percent. We saw a similar increase in silver beets and radishes,” reports Nigel Bond.

Eight of the nine supermarket branches located on New Zealand’s South Island have also implemented the project.

New World is also testing other alternatives

Some New World stores offer the option to bring your own cans to reduce plastic waste. Butchery products and seafood can thus be packed and transported in their own cans. However, this option is currently only available for these foods, because the preparation and cooking of these products enable hygiene standards and food safety to be maintained. With other foods, however, you have to look at this more critically. According to Brendon Jones, the owner and operator of a New World branch in Howick, this action is progressing slowly.

In addition, other alternatives to conventional packaging are being tested. Plastic bags are being replaced by paper bags and fiber-based food containers are being made. In this way, products can be sold without plastic.

New World proves that there are good alternatives to traditional plastic packaging. At the same time, they show that a rethink is not only important for consumers, but also for suppliers and supermarket operators in order to really change something.