Another Plastic Free July is coming to a close, so we wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all our supporters who helped us call out grocery stores for the obscene amount of plastic wrapped around our food this month! Together, we flooded their inboxes with nearly SIX THOUSAND messages demanding that they ditch all the unnecessary plastic garbage. Let’s hope they got the message…
To wrap up the month, we wanted to remind you that none of this is your fault. These plastic packages are being forced on you by the companies that feed us. The amount of packaging at the grocery store is getting completely out of control. And we’ve got the photos to prove it. In addition to sending letters to the big grocery CEOs, we also asked you to send us photos of the most ridiculous plastic packaged items you’ve seen at the store lately. And you did not disappoint. We thought we’d share a few of the best (or should we say worst) submissions.
Let’s start off with a picture that perfectly illustrates how some packaging is obviously not needed. Take these kiwis packaged in a plastic clamshell sitting right next to LOOSE KIWIS. Clearly kiwis do just fine on their own, so why are we encasing them in this unnecessary garbage?
Next, lets talk about citrus fruit. A common argument we hear is that plastic packaging protects produce from germs. But can someone please explain how plastic netting is helping with this? First of all, fruits and vegetables likely touch many hands and surfaces BEFORE they’re packaged (can we all just agree that we need to wash our produce when we get home?) And second of all, that argument completely goes out the window when the produce is being packaged in a flimsy plastic net that offers exactly zero protection. Personally, I think the real goal here is to get you to buy more lemons…
The bargain shelf in the produce section is a real doozy when it comes to plastic packaging too. Everyone loves a good deal, but not when it comes wrapped in obscene amounts of throwaway garbage. Have a look at these absurd cherries one of our supporters spotted (and be sure to note the DOUBLE layer of plastic wrap). Someone, please, make it make sense.
Maybe you feel a glimmer of hope when you see the seasonal produce being offered in cardboard baskets. Well, that glimmer was quickly squashed for this supporter when they realized someone inexplicably decided to shrinkwrap it.
How about mushrooms? Does anyone else have distant memories of when they used to sell them loose and we got to fill up a paper bag with the exact amount of mushrooms we needed? Nowadays we are more often forced to buy these infuriating shrink wrapped containers.
But folks, I think we have a winner. A piece of plastic packaging so ridiculous it feels like someone must be pranking us. Wait for it… a single pickle in a plastic pouch. I think my brain just melted.
Based on the evidence we’ve laid out here, it’s pretty obvious that voluntary measures won’t work. Grocery stores are not going to change unless they are regulated to reduce throwaway plastic packaging. But retailers aren’t going to let that happen without a fight. They hit back hard against a federal announcement to require pollution prevention programs from major grocers—even though the retailers would be able to design their own plans, just as long as they ACTUALLY worked to cut back on the use of plastic packaging.
That’s why we need you. Together, we can keep being loud like we were this month. We need to make sure these grocery stores know we’re watching, and we see all their garbage. Retailers must adopt the pollution prevention plans announced by the federal government. And they should start by immediately doing away with packaging for the vast majority of fruits and vegetables.
It’s not too late to join the fight! Plastic Free July may be over, but we’re just getting started.
