Food Packaging Conundrum

OK, so we are doing our best to reduce food waste, but what about the packaging it comes in?

It would be nice to think that we can do without packaging that goes into the bin & then landfill, but there is a trade off. If it takes more resources to produce food that would otherwise be wasted than the packaging required extending its life, then there is an arguable case.

According to Incpen (Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment), more resources go into producing food than into the packaging which protects it and without the protection of packaging there would be much more food wasted.
“The government’s own Waste Policy Review 2011 acknowledges that packaging fulfils an important role in avoiding spoilage in the supply system and in the home,” said Incpen director Jane Bickerstaffe. “It also says that the carbon footprint of packaging is dwarfed by that of the products it contains. Both industry and government need to help consumers understand that.”
Typical examples are:

-           plastic wrapped cucumbers (stops them rotting so they last 5 times longer)

-          Pre-packed meat & fish (contains an artificial atmosphere that prevents bacterial growth)

-          Trays or bags have reduced in-store waste of grapes by 20%.

-           In-store wastage of new potatoes reduced from 3% when sold loose to less than 1% after specially designed bags were introduced.

Without packaging no liquids, gels or powders would be available; fruit and vegetables would not be available out of season; consumers would have to grow their own food or shop daily for it.

Without packaging the environmental damage from broken goods and spoiled food would be enormous. Food waste has at least ten times the environmental impact of packaging waste and that’s before taking account of the impact of methane from decayed food.

Meanwhile, of the total energy used in the food chain, 50% is used in food production, 10% on transport to the shops and retailing, 10% to make the packaging and the remaining 30% is used by shoppers to drive to the shops and store and cook food.

Food producers and retailers are now taking the packaging issue seriously. As the cost of oil based products and transport increase dramatically it makes economic sense to look at cutting costs. They can then boast that they are getting greener, but we all know what the real driving factor is. The major Supermarkets have dedicated departments that look at food production from start to delivery in store with the aim of reducing costs at all stages. Having identified the savings, they then deduct that amount from what they pay the supplier!!

As consumers we can do the following to lessen our environmental impact. Never dispose of packaged food into your regular bin. That goes into landfill where the packaging will result in anaerobic rotting which produces greenhouse gasses. The packaging will then take decades to degrade afterwards.

Dispose of food waste separately and where possible clean and put recyclable materials out for your council collection. Not cleaning the packaging will result in the whole bag being classed as contaminated & it being sent to landfill.