Bad wrap: the high cost of convenience

Would you pay $24 a kilogram for air and a bit of plastic? Obviously not.

But that's about what shoppers who buy packed lettuce from supermarkets fork out when they opt for convenience over an unadorned, unwashed vegetable.

Single-serve and packaged portions of everyday foods cost up to 10 times more than loose produce and are more damaging to the environment. But it seems we can't get enough of them.

The Produce Marketing Association, whose members cover the spectrum from paddock to plate, says packaged produce sales are growing about 9 per cent each year. Add salads to the mix and growth is above 10 per cent, with Coles reporting a 16 per cent rise.
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