A day in the life of intercepted food
It's become the thing we are ALL talking about - we've seen how the oceans are being vastly polluted with single use plastic items and totally nonbiodegradeable items such as straws, cotton b`uds, disposable cutlery and children's toys. We've witnessed the huge response to programmes such as David Attenborough's 'The Blue Planet' and the documentary 'The plastic ocean' and its very much hit home just how much we are destroying our environment with items which aren't really essential, living coastally has also highlighted how real the problem is actually becoming.
Most sessions in the Junk food kitchen are accompanied by a predictable dialogue about plastic - and more precisely packaging. There is absolutely no doubt that plastic has had its uses is food Preservation and transportation - but the amount we are now seeing is absolutely insane and contributing massively to the ridiculous amount of food waste we are producing. There are three main scenarios which we seem to be constantly dealing with which are the most frustrating. SWEATY FRUIT AND VEGGIES We receive lots and lots of fruit and veggies which have started to get a bit sweaty round the edges and have started to wilt in the packaging - often items which didn't really need packaging in the first place. We spend a huge chunk of time removing the offending items - and guess what THEY ARE FINE! they just needed to not be encased in plastic. DATE STAMPED PACKAGING. We totally understand that some things need dates on them to let you know when they are safe to eat, but a lot of the time it really isn't essential - especially with fresh produce where its pretty obvious something is past its best - we know what a manky apple or a squishy tomato looks like and they are not appealing at all and we instinctively know when to avoid them. Where it gets crazy is where items are bagged up and date stamped - and when this date has passed the entire bag is binned. We see this with most vegetables and fruit and the issue is the dates are just far too general. Unfortunately in our times of grab and go convenience shopping we reach for the bags which are on offer, within easy and reach and appear to be a bargain rather than the loose produce. Unfortunately its not only more convenient to grab a bag of apples/bananas/grapes etc but its often cheaper which is insane. In the bad old days, any damaged/spoiled items would have been taken out and discarded, now whole bags are thrown away. You would think that it would be an obvious solution to open up the bags, take out any dodgy looking items and put the rest out with the loose produce - but no - this isn't permitted, whole bag chucked, and to make things worse - they don't even compost BECAUSE THEY ARE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC. PACKAGING NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE At some point - items such as crisps, drinks etc were printed with the 'multipack not for individual sale' message, presumably to prevent shops from bulk buying items and selling them cheaper. BUT in doing this, it has yet again added many perfectly edible items to the ever growing food waste mountain. We receive many items from the results of split/damaged packaging, cereal, drinks, multipack snacks - if any of the external packaging is damaged - yep you guessed it - whole thing gets binned. So what are the answers to these dilemmas? * Where possible, buy simple loose produce - the more this happens the more will have to be available to keep up with the demand. There are lots of box schemes from local growers who use minimal packaging. * Complain to local supermarkets about the above issues * Educate people around you who may not be aware - including children - they are never too young * DO NOT throw out fruit and veg based on sell by/use by dates, use your senses to check if it is edible. *Take as much produce out of the plastic as possible - very few things improve when kept in plastic - get them out as soon as you get home. *Get growing! even the smallest window box can support a couple of herb or tomato plants - kids love this too and love to see their fruits and veg ripening - especially fruits like strawberries and blueberries - sugarsnap peas are super easy to grow and really yummy. * Find your nearest Junk Food Project - or set one up! Whatever you do jut try and be observant of whats going on around you and every small effort helps to reduce the huge issue of food waste and unnecessary packaging.
1 Comment
Ray Gritton
5/14/2018 11:10:01 pm
The comments made here encompass many of the thoughts being aired across all media and in general conversations. Things need to change, attitudes need to change but government and industry need to act sooner rather than later. Talking about resolving things in the next 10 to 20 years is not quick enough.
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