We throw away 37,000 tons of salad a year because fragile leaves that look appetising soon spoil and become soggy

  • People buying bagged salads to eat well end up throwing 40 per cent away 
  • Waste of bagged salad contributes to wider problems of families throwing away £700 of food a year
  • Tesco is now introducing new bags with a tougher film and zip lock tops
  • Store hopes new bags will protect leaves better and stop them being scrunched up and going bad

People buying bagged salads with good intentions of eating healthily end up throwing 40per cent away.

The fragile leaves look appetising on the shelves but they have a very short shelf life and soon spoil and become soggy.

As a result, tonnes of lambs lettuce, baby spinach, wild rocket and ruby chard-duos end up in the bin.

Bagged salad is thrown away as the fragile leaves spoil quickly, and the bags are not strong enough to hold them

Bagged salad is thrown away as the fragile leaves spoil quickly, and the bags are not strong enough to hold them

New research suggests people throw away around 37,000 tonnes of salad every year, which is the equivalent of 178 million bags.

Bagged salads are expensive, not least because much of it is imported, and the waste contributes to a wider problem of the average family throwing away £700 of food a year.

Supermarkets insist they are doing all they can to reduce waste by, for example, dropping buy one get one free deals on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Sainsbury's has run trials giving people free fridge thermometers to help them extend the life of products by ensuring they are kept cool enough.

Stores are also encouraging people to turn their windowsills into vegetable patches with pots of salad leaves and even miniature tomato plants which can be harvested when they are needed.

Now Tesco is to introduce new design bags for its salad which are made with a thicker film to provide protection and zip lock tops, similar to those on cheese.

Earlier this week, the UK's biggest supermarket, admitted that its food waste increased by more than 4,000 tonnes last year to 38,696 tonnes. The increase came despite a rise in donations to food charities and other efforts to tackle the problem.

Research by the supermarket found shoppers do not always buy bagged salads with a meal in mind which can lead to them being forgotten purchases.

It also found that current bags are not strong enough to protect leaves and do not seal so salads tend to spill out in the fridge.

Many salads are packed in bags with a so-called modified atmosphere to extend their shelf life. This means there is a reduced amount of oxygen to extend the shelf life.

Research by the supermarket found shoppers do not always buy bagged salads with a meal in mind which can lead to them being forgotten purchases

Research by the supermarket found shoppers do not always buy bagged salads with a meal in mind which can lead to them being forgotten purchases

Tesco research found shoppers believe that air going into a bag once it's opened is 'bad air' and want a way to stop this occurring.

The retailer's produce buyer manager, Adam Hill, said: 'Over the last two years we've been working with our growers to develop new packaging which allows customers to return to their bags of salad over a number of days with very little hassle or fuss.

'We know many shoppers roll up their bagged salads after using them once and stick them at the back of their fridges where they are forgotten for days or even weeks.

'These new bags are made from stronger material to protect the leaves from getting scrunched up - so preventing them from going to waste.'

The move to resealable salad bags has been welcomed by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) - a not-for-profit organisation that works with governments, businesses and the public to promote waste reduction.

WRAP's business programmes director Steve Creed said: 'We commend Tesco for introducing a new resealable packaging format for their pre-prepared salads which will help in the fight to reduce household food waste.

'At present, nearly 40 per cent of lettuce and leafy salads bought by householders end up being thrown away in the home.'

The new Tesco salads in resealable bags are priced as follows Babyleaf spinach (240g) - £1.50; Iceberg lettuce (260g) - £1; Sweet and crunchy (370g) - £1; Babyleaf salad (140g) - £1.50.