Parliament will today (Monday) debate a petition calling for supermarkets to be required to offer a plastic-free packaging option for all their fruit and vegetables.

A petition on the Parliament website has received more than 123,000 signatures - more than the 100,000 required to trigger a parliamentary debate.

The petition, entitled ‘Require supermarkets to offer a plastic-free option for all their fruit & veg’, states that “forcing supermarkets to provide us with the choice of buying cucumbers, cabbages, broccoli etc in eco-friendly packaging will enable people on their journey to zero waste”.

The government had confirmed that MPs will debate the petition on Monday 12 November.

In its response to the petition, the government said: “We are working with retailers and the Waste and Resources Action Programme to explore the potential for the introduction of plastic-free initiatives in supermarkets in which fresh food is sold loose.”