{"id":7540,"date":"2024-11-06T10:35:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T07:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=7540"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:34:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:34:56","slug":"calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/","title":{"rendered":"WRAP Calls for Ban on Plastic Packaging for Fresh Produce by 2030"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UK non-profit organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrap.ngo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)<\/a>, is pressing the UK Government to enforce a ban on plastic packaging for uncut fresh fruits and vegetables in retail. This recommendation is part of WRAP&#8217;s broader strategy to cut down on food and plastic waste, aiming to reduce the UK\u2019s overall environmental impact by changing consumer habits.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/#Addressing_Household_Waste\" >Addressing Household Waste<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/#Targeted_Fresh_Produce_and_2030_Deadline\" >Targeted Fresh Produce and 2030 Deadline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/#Policy_Interventions_and_Consumer_Support\" >Policy Interventions and Consumer Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/#Proposed_Exemptions\" >Proposed Exemptions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/calls-for-ban-on-plastic-packaging-fresh-produce\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Addressing_Household_Waste\"><\/span><strong>Addressing Household Waste<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to WRAP\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrap.ngo\/resources\/report\/removing-packaging-uncut-fresh-produce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">report<\/a>, in the UK, <strong>household food waste constitutes 70 % of post-farm-gate food waste<\/strong>, with fresh produce like fruits and vegetables contributing significantly. Additionally, most fresh produce packaging is <strong>single-use plastic<\/strong>, accumulating about <strong>70,000 tonnes of waste yearly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While WRAP acknowledges that progress has been made to reduce food and plastic waste, they stress that more needs to be done. Current measures have limitations, especially around household food waste linked to fresh produce, which WRAP believes can be mitigated through <strong>policy-driven packaging changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Targeted_Fresh_Produce_and_2030_Deadline\"><\/span><strong>Targeted Fresh Produce and 2030 Deadline<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Program\u2019s proposal focuses on <strong>21 different fruits and vegetables,<\/strong> <strong>like<\/strong> <strong>bananas, apples, potatoes, carrots, and salad tomatoes<\/strong>. Specifically, WRAP suggests to implement a gradual <strong>phase-out of plastic packaging<\/strong> for these items, with a full ban to be achieved by 2030. The intent is to drastically lower the use of single-use plastics and minimize waste in the fresh produce category.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the proposed ban would apply only to <strong>primary packaging on whole, uncut fresh produce items weighing under 1.5 kg<\/strong>, pushing retailers toward selling these items without any packaging.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7526\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/vecteezy_banana-in-plastic-wrap-displayed-in-supermarket_43309060-scaled-e1730878600646.jpg\" alt=\"Plastic Packaging for Fresh Produce - bananas\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Policy_Interventions_and_Consumer_Support\"><\/span><strong>Policy Interventions and Consumer Support<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The non-profit\u2019s recommendation follows the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrap.ngo\/taking-action\/plastic-packaging\/initiatives\/the-uk-plastics-pact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">UK Plastics Pact<\/a><\/strong>, a voluntary initiative encouraging retailers to sell more loose produce. Since its inception, the initiative has successfully reduced unnecessary plastic usage in the UK. However, WRAP and other stakeholders recognize that moving to a mostly loose system for fresh produce has its challenges, and they argue that <strong>government policy is needed to create consistent standards and support the transition.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report also found that over half of surveyed consumers are in favor of government action to reduce food waste, indicating <strong>substantial public support for stricter policies<\/strong>. WRAP suggests that implementing a ban is the most effective way to significantly reduce the use of plastic packaging.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Proposed_Exemptions\"><\/span><strong>Proposed Exemptions <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">WRAP suggests a few exemptions during the transition period to balance <strong>practicality<\/strong>. Specifically, <strong>Organic and Fairtrade products<\/strong>, which require specific labeling, would initially be excluded from the ban. Similarly, <strong>\u201cRipe and Ready\u201d items<\/strong>, often prone to damage, would also be exempt. Limited exemptions are advised for <strong>high-demand periods<\/strong>, such as the holidays, and for <strong>smaller retailers<\/strong>, to avoid unnecessary waste.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additionally, if a broader ban is adopted, the organization recommends <strong>additional exclusions<\/strong> for certain items that require minimal packaging to maintain freshness and reduce waste, such as <strong>berries, soft fruits, and items needing pest control<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">WRAP\u2019s push for a UK-wide ban on plastic packaging for fresh produce aims to reduce environmental impact and foster more sustainable shopping habits. With consumer support and policy adjustments, the UK could see significant reductions in food and plastic waste by 2030, setting a precedent for global efforts toward environmental responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UK non-profit organization, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), is pressing the UK Government to enforce a ban on plastic packaging for uncut fresh fruits and vegetables in retail. This recommendation is part of WRAP&#8217;s broader strategy to cut down on food and plastic waste, aiming to reduce the UK\u2019s overall environmental impact by&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-advocacy-enforcement-en","category-28","category-543","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7540"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9483,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7540\/revisions\/9483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}