German retailer Rewe Group has announced a pilot project which will use laser labelling to reduce packaging required for organic fruit and vegetables.
The company aims to remove all unnecessary packaging from its shelves, while keeping food fresh and maintaining product certification standards.
This new 'natural branding' approach will eliminate the need to package organic produce, as well as saving resources and emit less carbon, Rewe Group said.
A concentrated beam of light can mark the items with a logo and any other required information.The laser is contactless and only affects the surface of the item.
The pigments of the outermost layer will be removed upon labelling, but the branding can be used for produce with or without a peel.
The pilot will be rolled out over a four-week period in roughly 800 Rewe and Penny stores in North-Rhine Westphalia in the middle of March.
Avocados and sweet potatoes will be the guinea pigs for 'natural' branding. If results are positive, the company may expand the initiative.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
