M&S is trialling plastic-free aisles at its store in Tolworth, South-West London, where buyers will be able to pick their own loose produce displayed in two separate aisles.
The retailer is launching more than 90 lines of loose fruit and vegetables free of all plastic packaging, which if successful will be rolled out more widely across the UK.
The range includes hard fruit and vegetables, with more perishable items such as soft fruits and berries to be sold in compostable punnets and as part of the trial M&S has removed "best before" date labels.
Trained greengrocers will be on hand to help customers pick and weigh their products and advise on how best to preserve fresh produce and prevent food waste at home.
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In an effort to save 580 tonnes of waste over two years, M&S says it has also committed to launching additional lines of loose produce, replacing plastic produce bags with paper ones and phasing out plastic barcode stickers in favour of eco-friendly alternatives in its UK stores.
"Our trial at Tolworth is an important milestone in our plastic reduction journey and bringing back the traditional greengrocer will play a key part in educating our customers,” said Louise Nicholls, Head of food sustainability at M&S.
"Our plan is to create long-term impact in the future using tangible insights from the Tolworth store trial."
