The non-governmental organization Food Watch has launched a petition against the excessive use of food packaging being sold in French supermarkets. As reported on by news provider The Connexion, the organization is criticizing the “half empty” packages of food that use disproportionate amounts of packaging. While some packaging is intentionally vacuum sealed and filled with air to better protect or preserve food products, Food Watch says it has identified seven examples from brands where the additional packaging only serves to allegedly increase the size of the product and therefore misleads consumers.
Soon after launching the petition, French supermarket chain Carrefour responded to the criticism and committed to reducing the extra space in its packaged products. The company further reconfirmed its commitment to reduce its branded packaging by 5,000 metric tons by 2025. The Food Watch petition is open for signature, and new signatories will be sent daily to the identified brands and call for them “to protect our environment and put an end to these unnecessary vacuum-filled products.”
Reference
Food Watch (September 2020). “Emballages démesurés: stop aux produits pleins de vide!” (in French)
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Hannah Thompson (September 17, 2020). “Petition against ‘half empty’ food packaging sold in France.” The Connexion
