What if someone told you that plastic packaging was actually GOOD for the earth? In opposition to the environmentalists who are trying so hard to live packaging-free (See How to Live Packaging-Free), there are actually some who argue that it's greener to use packaging. See the argument, after the jump.
Writer James McWilliams of the New York Times' Freakonomics blog writes that plastic-wrapped fruits are a good thing. The argument? That the 1.5 grams of plastic (in the case of cucumbers) extends the life of a fruit or vegetable significantly. In the case of cucumbers, it's 14 days instead of just three. Apples, potatoes and grapes sold in shrink-wrapped trays ends in 27% waste "from home to orchard." According to McWilliams, "the longer food lasts, the better chances there are of someone consuming it."
McWilliams states that what really does matter when it comes to saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is our behavior in the kitchen. It comes down to us, the consumers, who let food go to waste. McMillian quotes a study that "U.S. consumers throw out about half the food they buy." If each of us went to the grocery store daily and purchased only locally produced food that we needed for the next couple days, we'd negate the need for all the fancy shelf-life extending packaging. But most of us don't have the time, money or energy to do so.
His disclaimer is that in a perfect world, sure, we'd all eat locally produced food, or even produce our own but we don't. In urban areas, it'd be darn near impossible to produce your own food and even buy all of it locally.
McWilliams also argues that we can make an impact by choosing foods that are designed to ensure that we use the entire product. He cites transparent containers (bagged salad, milk bottles, ketchup), re-sealable containers, smooth surfaced containers and containers we can turn upside down as positive packaging accommodations that allow us to use all of their contents. Containers such as individually packaged yogurt, or grooved / non smooth packaging inhabits our ability to get every last drop, and thus, wastes food.
This response article on DailyFinance argues that wasted food, when composted, helps offset the "waste phenomenon" as stated by McWilliams.
So what's your take? Are you sold on the case for packaging?
(Image: Flickr member natecardozo, Licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I suppose the question is: does a cucumber lasting 11 days longer offset the environmental cost of the plastic it is wrapped in?
Far from sold, but I can see his point.
long lasting?? does it weigh more than the junk and garbage a packed cucumber is going to create?...what about the non biodegradability...its common sense to understand that any freak-o-nomics is just what it is!
Hmmm...I'd have to do some math and consulting before agreeing with the above statement. Okay, maybe to the stereotype of American consumer, it benefits to have plastic wrap, especially when we think about food miles, imports from other countries, etc. But I know for a fact that I don't discard 50% of what I buy--and I don't eat exclusively from one farm type (eg industrial). And, perhaps this is my shelf-life and not transport perception, but I feel like a lot of packaging is there more for appealing looks, branding, and convenience. I guess you could build some kind of benefits model to see which one works best (plastic with longevity vs. plastic-free and susceptible). For my personal demographic, I'm still holding on to making purchases with little to no packaging.
The great oceanic garbage patch = smackdown on this argument. "Off" fruits and vegetables can be composted. Even if you end up with moldy cucumbers in your fridge, it doesn't take that much energy, once you get a composting system set up, to turn that dead cuke into humus. Plastic is forever. It's true that not everyone has a backyard for composting but there are very often garden groups who are actively looking for compostable waste. Busy is a lame argument for not switching gears; any habit change is hard, but once you have a system in place as far as better shopping, cooking and eating habits it's not all that hard. I vote not to let American consumers off the hook on this one, this is exactly the opposite of the direction we need to go.
The title of this post is completely misleading. While excessive plastic packaging may preserve the shelf life of foods, it does anything but that for the planet. Folks should consider wrapping produce in the plastic bags acquired from previous grocery trips.
So it is in fact buying only what you need and eating it before it's spoiled, not wrapping it in plastic, that is good for the earth.
But nice try spinning it for plastic, mate.
As oposing as it might seem to the other commentors here i do think the author has a point. If a wrapped cucumber can be sold for 9 days more than without wrapping the chances of somebody bying and eating it are 4 times greater. other wise the shop needs to replace the unsold cucumber 3 times. so thats 3 cucumbers wasted. especially as we can't have a compost in our area, and all waste gets burned. so In our area it means that if the cucumber gets thrown out it will only be one and not four that end up in the burner.
Although I do agree that if people would be more consious and thoughtfull about their food and consumerism, the packaging could be avoided. But allas, we can only by packaged foods in our nearest supermarket.
In the case of cucumbers, the plastic packaging means that it lasts more than four times longer than non-packaged cukes. That means that without the packaging, we'd need to produce four times as much. That's not only four times the fertilizer, four times the land, and four times the carbon footprint, but four times the waste. Most grocers and the vast majority of people don't compost, so realistically, biodegradable plastic may be a good option when available.
I recently read something about the human need to express our puritanical urges. I'd always assumed this was the crutch of "other" societal groups, but it was rightly pointed out that we "liberals" can be fairly puritanical about our food. As someone who tries to "eat right" and has switched to a mainly vegetarian diet over the last year, I was a little taken aback at my own susceptibility. It's helped me to reign in my kneejerk reactions. Do I still buy at the farmers market even though that food typically has a significantly higher carbon footprint? Do I avoid the packaged foods even though they lead to significantly less waste? Do I shop daily even though it takes many more trips to the store and burns more carbon fuel?
It's almost like taking the easy way out to regurgitate the mantras we've held dear for so long and bury our heads in the sand, but I think it comes down to what cause is nearest and dearest to you. Are you worried about global warming? Then maybe it's best to take advantage of the smaller carbon footprint of factory farms and packaged goods. Is it supporting the local economy? Then maybe you shop exclusively at the farmers market. The answers are different for each of us. All I'm suggesting is that you take the time to stop and consider all the factors before dismissing something as bad simply because that's what we've always been told.
Um, maybe I'm missing something, but the answer seems pretty obvious to me. Plastic wrap makes your food last longer, yeah. But your cucumber or your head of lettuce will rot right back into the earth in a relatively short amount of time. That plastic is going to take a whoooole lot longer.
We don't waste much food around here- when we do, it's usually because we try something new and it ends up being disgusting. If you're wasting so much food that the plastic seems like it would be better for the planet, it seems to me that the simple solution is just buying less food at a time. Also, if you still have some veggies going limp, make a nice big pot of soup.
I agree that we need to question our assumptions and be flexible and not puritanical, but in this case it is just a matter of common sense -- as acbuiten pointed out, it's the fact that organic matter rots back into the earth; plastic does not. And plastic has a whole range of negative effects on the environment which far outweigh having to produce three times the cucumbers, hormone disruption being only one of those factors. I think the earlier suggestion of reusing plastic bags is a good solution. And I'm just sort of perplexed by this whole thing - why start doing this now? Extra packaging *is* a problem, especially when it doesn't biodegrade very well and/or introduces a host of life-unfriendly materials into the water and soil? Also, I think there's the whole issue of the deep dysfunction that runs through the whole industrial food system. Not that we have a handy replacement at the moment, but I think it is imperative for people to start thinking about how to NOT eat in these sorts of ways. Of course you have to respond to the environment you find yourself in, but why not push for a better solution than this? What we have in place right now is a bunch of strung together solutions like this one that take the place of true, systemic change for the better in our food system.
acbuiten
Well said!! :)
PS, just saw "biodegradable plastic" in the earlier post, my apologies. That is a much better solution. Still, better to try to train people out of using extra packaging when possible. Thanks for the thought provoking post.
"In the case of cucumbers, the plastic packaging means that it lasts more than four times longer than non-packaged cukes. That means that without the packaging, we'd need to produce four times as much."
How does this follow? There's no economic law saying that a cucumber is wasted if it can't sit on the shelf for nine days. The store probably just wouldn't stock as many cukes at a time so that they would sell all they had without letting them rot. When I worked in a grocery store, we bought small quantities of veggies that rotted super quickly and larger quantities of those that lasted longer. Hence we had a few boxes of tomatoes coming in a few times a week, but a large pallet of potatoes just once a week. I'm not seeing how that 27% more waste is being generated.
Even if urban areas can't produce their own produce, they could easily buy a lot MORE local than they do now. My dad is a trucker, and primarily hauls refrigerated items like produce. He is always laughing about the fact that he hauls loads of the same product across the country in both directions during the same season. Like shipping apples from Michigan to Washington and Washington to Michigan. Happens all the time.
And yeah, plastic is forever.