Stores 'confusing' on fruit prices

Supermarkets make it impossible for customers to work out whether it is cheaper to buy bagged or loose fruit, according to a consumer watchdog.

Which? compared the cost of loose and bagged bananas at Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, finding that they all priced loose fruit per kilogram but bags per banana, as well as having a total price.

This left customers unable to work out which was the cheapest option.

Researchers found the best-value bagged bananas as Asda, but still could not tell if they were cheaper or more expensive than buying them loose.

Which? has called on supermarkets to show clear and consistent unit pricing per weight, volume or item to allow customers to easily compare costs.

But the British Retail Consortium (BRC) defended the practice, saying: "Official figures out earlier this week show food is helping keep overall inflation down, with competition between the supermarkets playing a big part. Customers aren't fools and have no difficulty finding best value.

"The law gives shops the option of selling by weight or by unit for products such as pre-packed fruit and vegetables. With some things - eggs, apples, bananas - how many they're getting matters more to customers than the overall weight."

An Asda spokeswoman said: "Our aim is never to confuse customers but to give them choice. We know they like having a choice about how they buy fresh produce. Some prefer shopping by number and others prefer shopping by weight.

"We offer both options as well as a clear guide on shelf-edge labelling as to how much products sold by number weigh and how much products sold by weight cost per kg."