Brits are growing ever more conscious of their carbon footprint and how their food waste is being disposed of. The awareness can even create feelings of guilt when we shop; worrying that we are contributing to landfills and litter.

But environmentally conscious food manufacturers have tackled disposable packaging - by creating an edible alternative. And it will start to impact one of the most popular supermarket-bought vegetables.

The revolutionary additive-free covering for cucumbers, crafted from rapeseed and oat oil, has been unveiled by food-tech company Saveggy.

The firm claims this breakthrough could slash plastic waste whilst maintaining freshness and extending shelf life.

The substance, currently being tested in Swedish shops, aims to reduce the over 3,000 tonnes of cucumber packaging that Saveggy estimates ends up in EU landfills annually.

With their first industrial equipment now operational, the business is planning wider rollouts throughout Sweden and Europe, reports the Express.

Kerstin Lindvall, sustainability chief at ICA, commented: "This innovation makes it possible for us to remove plastic from cucumbers without compromising quality."

Saveggy was established in 2020 by Vahid Sohrabpour and Arash Fayyazi, who created the coating alongside Aarhus University, Lund University, EIT Food, plus retailers, packers and shoppers.

The company has secured £2.2million from backers and the month-long trial is running in Swedish stores ICA and Odlarna.se.

Martin Löfstedt, from Odlarna.se, added: "Sustainability and quality are at our core, and this collaboration takes our commitment further by introducing plastic-free cucumbers."

Mr Fayyazi stated his intention: "Cucumbers highlight the challenge - food waste on one side, plastic-wrapped shelves on the other.

"Our goal is to reduce food waste and plastic pollution together - with respect for nature, people, and the resources that make our food."

Scotland banned many single-use plastic items, including cutlery, plates, stirrers, and expanded polystyrene food and drink containers, in June 2022.

Scotland's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers was also due to begin in the same year but it has been delayed until October 2027.

It's hoped that the scheme will provide people with a financial incentive to recycle their old bottles and cans and in turn will help to significantly reduce the amount of plastic that goes to waste.

The deposit return scheme is already used in over 50 countries across the globe including the Republic of Ireland, Germany and Sweden, to encourage the public to recycle more single-use drink containers.

According to the UK Government, an estimated 30bn single-use drink containers are bought by consumers across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland each year, including 12bn plastic bottles and 13bn cans.

Elsewhere, the EU has set a target to eliminate single-use plastics for fruit and vegetables by 2030.

Cucumbers in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Lidl and Aldi could be in for major change - Daily Record