'Are we really that lazy?' The supermarket item drawing criticism from shoppers

A new item found at an Australian supermarket has people questioning how "lazy" customers are becoming. Photo / 123RF

A new item found at an Australian supermarket has people questioning how "lazy" customers are becoming.

Coles has been slammed by a Sydney-based environmentalist group, Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew, after it came to their attention that the supermarket giant were selling diced-onion.

"Are we really that lazy that we can no longer dice our own onions?" the group asked on their Facebook page with a photo of the product.

Shoppers have criticised the new product, saying the amount of packaging is "unneccessary". Photo / Facebook

"So much unnecessary plastic!"

The post drew a lot of attention, with many others commenting that the idea was "absurd" and "ridiculous".

"WHY IS THIS AT ALL NECESSARY," one person even vented.

Others planned to boycott Coles, believing that the extra packaging would be bad for the environment.

However, some people have defended the product, pointing out that the pre-cut vegetables are a great necessity for those with disabilities — but they are still angry about the excessive packaging and price mark-ups of the items.

"I totally understand about the plastic... however, some people are unable to cut their own fruits, vegetables etc due to having disabilities," one person wrote.

Another agreed: "It's wonderful for me, I have arthritis in my wrists which makes chopping and slicing difficult and painful."

Someone else added: "These are a lifesaver to people with disabilities, not laziness."

A Coles spokeswoman told Yahoo News Australia that the retailer knows that cutting onions is a task many customers don't like.

"It can quite literally bring them to tears," she said.

"So this is another example of where Coles has done the work for you."

"All the packaging for this product can be recycled through REDcycle soft plastic recycling bins which are available at all Coles supermarkets."

This is not the first time a supermarket has been guilty of unnecessarily pre-chopped packaged food.

Early last year, UK supermarket giant Marks & Spencer copped heat for their "cauliflower steaks", which were pre-chopped then packaged cauliflower.

The company eventually withdrew the item from its shelves.

"People who buy this must have more money than sense! What a wasteful item," a person wrote on Twitter at the time.

"The amount of plastic and processing involved in this is ridiculous. Like you say, buy a cauliflower."