Loblaws Canada groceries: Shoppers slam store for green onions with roots chopped off — 'I wouldn't buy those'

A photo of green onions being sold with the roots chopped off at a Toronto Loblaws store is stirring more anger online against the grocery giant.

The photo posted to the Reddit forum Loblaws Is Out Of Control shows bundles of green onions without the roots at the bottom being sold for $1.79 per bunch.

Many in the comments pointed out that cutting the roots off of a green onion impacts how it tastes, as well as how long it stays fresh.

“I wouldn't buy those, Glittering_Search_41 wrote. “If you cut off the ends they aren't retaining their flavour."

“They will also not keep very long with the root removed,” Mralisterh wrote. “Quartered the shelf life of them, you can already see oxidation. They're going to rot within days.”

Others speculated that the product could have been chopped by the supplier, or by a new employee in the produce department.

The person who posted the photo said it was the second time they’d seen onions being sold with the roots cut off at the Loblaws located along Toronto’s Lakeshore.

“I believe this is more of a concerted effort to not allow us to regrow our purchased produce and to extract maximum profit,” Party_Setting7622 wrote.

A similar photo of rootless green onions being sold has been posted to the forum before, where one user wondered: "Is that to stop us from regrowing them at home?"

Loblaw did not respond to a request from comment from Yahoo Canada.

Urban farming expert shares easiest greens to grow at home

During the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, green onion became a trendy vegetable to showcase on social media, thanks to how easily they can sprout by putting the roots in a glass of water.

Arlene Hazzan Green, co-founder of the Backyard Urban Farm Company in Toronto, says there are many other vegetables that can be grown at home like a house plant, and without a plot or garden.

“All you need is a pot with holes, some potting mix, a saucer, a watering can, some sun and seedlings,” she says.

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Hazzan Green explains there’s two types of plants — cold hardy plants, which can grow in cooler temperatures, and heat loving plants, which need frequent and direct light.

Leafy vegetables like kale, arugula, lettuce, chard and mustard greens and herbs, like basil and mint, fall into the first category and can be grown simply in a flowerpot on a window sill or balcony this time of year.

“You don’t need to wait until May 2-4 weekend, which is what everyone thinks,” she says. “I’ve got seedlings that I got started indoors and now I’m planting them outside.”

Tomatoes can also grow easily in a pot, though they fall under the heat loving plant category and need to grow outside and receive lots of sun.

“They’re great on a balcony,” Hazzan Green says. “And they’re way more tasty when you grow your own.”

When it comes to planting green onions, urban farmer Derek Barber of Homestead Toronto says they can be grown from seed, which is generally done in soil. You can also take the ends of another green onion, which would otherwise go to waste, and place them in water to sprout indoors. An entirely new onion won’t grow but you'll get the leaves. This trick can be done a few times.

“It's a great way to reuse vegetable scraps and it's nice to have an ongoing supply of green onion leaves indoors,” says Barber. “The bottom does slowly decompose so you need to cut the new onions higher up the stem to avoid the soft part and you need to change the water regularly.”

Barber says this sprouting trick can also be done with celery, carrots and radish. Though you're not getting a complete vegetable from it, the sprouts will produce leaves that make a great garnish and can add some fresh flavour to your meals.