Other fruit and vegetables so far sometimes packaged in this way will no longer be either.

The change will come as part of new EU rules aimed at curbing excess and unnecessary packaging, which will come into force January 1, 2030. Individual and smaller quantities of cucumbers and a still-to-be-finalized list of other produce will instead be sold loose.

Head of packaging at the Ministry of Climate Dagny Repp told "Aktuaalne kaamera" that from 2030, producers and sellers will no longer be permitted to pre-package quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms.

The European Commission has until January 1, 2027, to present a list of fruit and vegetables to which the ban will not apply, making the regulation's full impact hard to assess at this point, Repp noted.

Repp pointed out many Estonian shops already sell a large proportion of their fruit and vegetables loose, meaning the change may not have as significant an impact on retailers as it could.

Some sector representatives have said the change may bring higher costs and bureaucracy, at least in the short term.

Teet Koljal, a spokesperson for supermarket Rimi, noted that, for instance, the regulations will require changes to product ranges and packaging solutions, which will likely be passed on as costs to the consumer, in the short term.

Over the longer term, uniform EU rules may make the market clearer and more transparent, however, Koljal went on, adding more efficient packaging solutions and reduced material use could ultimately help cut costs.

The European Commission has until January 1, 2027, to present a list of fruit and vegetables to which the ban will not apply, making the regulation's full impact hard to assess at this point, Koljal added. Some produce requires packaging regardless of quantity, he noted, in order to preserve freshness, prevent microbiological hazards, avoid physical damage or oxidation, and keep organic and non-organic produce separate.

Some companies say they also want the European Commission's additional implementing acts and guidelines to be published as early as possible so that they have sufficient time to prepare for the changes. The European Commission is required to publish guidelines clarifying the requirements related to pre-packaging by February 12, 2027, at the latest.

Nele Peil, CEO of the Estonian Traders Association (Eesti kaupmeeste liit), said that increasing environmental protection and reducing consumer convenience will certainly bring costs and price increases and, since the changes are Europe-wide, the solutions are also expected to be EU-wide.

At the same time, Estonia's small population means the costs will have to be borne by a smaller number of people compared with some densely populated EU member states.

"It would be good if we took our remoteness and dispersed population into account and gave businesses as much flexibility as possible. Of course, that should have been sought when the regulation was still being discussed in Brussels," Peil said.

Peil meanwhile said pre-packaging quantities of less than 1.5 kilograms is common, for example, with organic products, or more delicate fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, which can easily get damaged, and also fresh fruit. This would also apply to cucumbers, she noted. In any case, a rise in spoilage both during transport and in-store could hike end prices to consumers too.

As these products are often among the healthiest foodstuffs, from a public health perspective they should not be confined to more well-off consumers, Peil added.

After 2030, ultra-thin plastic bags will still be available, she continued, though there is a degree of subjectivity on when these are needed – for instance bananas generally do not require them, but they may do when being ferried home as part of a larger shopping load, for instance. Ultimately the customer is the best judge of when a bag is or is not needed, Peil said.

Other plastics to be phased out from 2030 once the regulations come into force include shrink wrapping around multi-packs of drinks cans, while the small, single-use bottles of shampoos and other toiletries often seen in hotels will become a thing of the past too, inside the EU.

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