EC’s Proposal on Banning Packaging for Vegetables Under 1.5kg Strikes Fear
Europatat – the European Potato Trade Association, Copa-Cogeca, Freshfel Europe, and the European Fresh Produce Association have taken note of the European Commission’s (EC’s) proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, which was published on November 30, 2022, and support the text’s ambitions to reduce packaging waste, protect internal market functioning, and achieve a circular economy in line with the European Green Deal.
“It is with this in mind that we express great concern about aspects of the proposal affecting the fruit and vegetables sector in what is a challenging socio-economic context. In particular, we call attention to the proposed ban on single-use packaging for less than 1.5kg of fresh fruit and vegetables, which disregards both the material uses and life-cycle analyses that demonstrate the sustainability of the packaging for the sector,” according to a recent Europatat press release.
The experts added that the restrictions without viable substitutes will result in decreased product protection and shelf-life, as well as compromised hygiene, organoleptic quality, and traceability. In this light, the representatives say, the restrictions would not reduce the environmental impact of the supply chain; rather, they could increase environmental effects as well as food waste.
Furthermore, the proposed prohibition unfairly targets the fruit and vegetable sector and is not based on a comprehensive and scientifically based impact assessment.
“Therefore, we strongly call for a revision of the above provisions, which would ban packaging for fruit and vegetables under 1.5kg, and to focus not on prohibitions but instead incentives and a workable strategy which may include promotion of ecological labeling or improving packaging management,” the Europatat representatives added.
As a compromise solution, which takes into account the heterogeneity of products in the fruit and vegetables sector, the regulation should be oriented towards: – Reducing the use of superfluous packaging; – Promoting the use of environmentally friendly packaging (such as recycled, degradable or compostable packaging, where technically and economically possible); – Respecting the cases in which the use of plastic packaging is essential and irreplaceable today, without loss of quality and food safety given current technological possibilities; – Improving packaging collection, sorting, and recycling management at Member States’ level.
“The fruit and vegetable supply chain is already making strides to improve packaging management systems, reduce plastic packaging and prevent food waste by taking eco-design approaches and using environmentally friendly packaging and materials based on science-based decision-making. These efforts should be supported through good regulation and attention must be paid to avoid imposing requirements that would be counterproductive to these aims and result in unintended consequences,” the documents concluded.