The packaging has a barcode so it can be scanned faster at a checkout. Faster scanning means less checkouts and staff which means lower capital and operating costs.

In central Europe we weight our Vegs and fruits ourselfs and apply a bar code to whatever bag in the majority of super markets.

I sometimes collect these codes on my hand and just put all the Vegs in a cloth bag.

Same! Or if I have to use one of their bags I put all the fruit and veg in the same bag and all the tags on it. Realistically it’s even less work for the cashier to scan everything all at once on one bag rather than pick up multiple packages and scanning them individually, so they have no excuse, really!

At most stores each individual piece of produce has a scannable sticker on it.

Hahaha I'm sure somewhere out there, someone's opened a packaging and turned the apple around to find it all brown and disgusting on the other concealed side!