Freshinfo can exclusively reveal major developments in packaging at Asda and Morrisons that are set to have an impact on fresh produce.

Asda’s trial of loose-only fresh produce in one north-west England store has proved so successful that the retailer is already considering rolling out some changes to its offer nationally, as well as undertaking a more robust trial.

The exercise was carried out at the Southport store and initial indications are that fresh produce sales increased, despite head-office expectations that they might fall. Feedback from customers has also been extremely positive. “The produce department actually looks much more vibrant and there is a really nice aroma of fresh fruit and vegetables,” said a spokesman for the Leeds-based retailer.

“Customers have commented that the store is brighter and fresher and we have already had some great solutions for certain products, for example cucumbers - it does not appear to have any impact on sales whether they are packaged or not at all.”

And Morrison’s has told freshinfo that it will be launching a system of three new logos on all its packaging across the store next month so that shoppers can identify whether packs can be recycled or not. A smiley-face logo will denote that packaging is completely recyclable, another logo will indicate that some parts of the pack can be recycled and others cannot, and a third will identify those packs that contain no recyclable materials.

This news comes on top of ceo Marc Bolland’s announcements last week that the store will be looking much more closely at its carbon footprint. “A lot of our focus in the last few years has been on the Safeway takeover but this does not mean that we don’t take environmental issues seriously,” said a spokeswoman for the Bradford-based chain. “We are going to be focusing heavily on this in the years to come and setting our targets for the next few years. We are heading in the right direction now.”

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