Wall Street Journal published an article by journalist Bee Wilson on January 22, 2022, outlining the rise of plastics in the home kitchen over the last 80 years, and how modern cultural values are moving away from such products. Wilson walks through the history of plastic wrap: from the 1930’s when chemical company DuPont first advertised plastic cellophane film as superior to a fruit’s natural skin, to the first fully synthetic plastic film in 1949. Before the 1930’s, people stored food in stone or ceramic crocks, wrapped in a cloth, or simply in a dish, which, Wilson says, home cooks are increasingly returning to.
The article outlines the changes underway when it comes to food and plastic both inside and outside of the home kitchen. It mentions the multiple state bans on plastic checkout bags in grocery stores (FPF reported, also here), France and Spain’s ban on single-use packaging for some produce (FPF reported), and the growing market for alternative containers. Wilson suggests bento lunch boxes, paper bags, glass jars, reusable plastic containers, and beeswax wraps as alternatives to plastic film when packing lunch or leftovers.
While the article provides a solid overview of how all of these items can be incorporated into a daily routine to avoid single-use plastics, existing scientific research published across peer-reviewed journals has shown that not all packaging alternatives are equal when it comes to the health and environmental effects from their production, use, and end of life. Studies have found that more chemicals tend to transfer from plastic and paper into food than from more inert materials like glass, ceramic, and stainless steel (FPF reported, also here and here). The pollution from chemicals used in plastics and other synthetic chemicals were also recently identified to be so great that they are causing global harm to the biological systems essential for healthy lives on Earth (FPF reported).
Like the shifts identified in home kitchens within the WSJ article, concerns about food packaging’s impact on the environment were also recently reported in food brand Mondelēz International’s “state of snacking” survey. Mondelēz found that 78% of surveyed customers said “the number one environmental consideration on their food selection is availability of low waste packaging” with more than 85% of consumers saying they want snacks that have low waste and/or easy-to-recycle packaging. A recent poll by the non-profit Oceana found 82% of voters in the United States would support a ban on single-use plastics in National Parks. And Amazon.com, Inc. shareholders have for the second year in a row filed a shareholder resolution to reduce plastic waste at the company, particularly in Whole Foods Market, an Amazon-owned grocery chain that markets itself on environmental action (FPF reported).
Read More
Bee Wilson (January 22, 2022). “Goodbye to plastic food packaging?” Wall Street Journal
Single-Use Material Decelerator “Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard.”
Mondelēz International (January 2021). “The third annual state of snacking.” (pdf)
Christopher Doering (January 21, 2022). “More U.S. consumers want snacks with a ‘broader consciousness,’ Mondelēz finds.” Food Dive
Elizabeth DiSanto (January 24, 2022). “Shareholders call on Whole Foods to eliminate single-use packaging.” Environment America
Oceana (January 13, 2022). “Americans overwhelmingly support ending sale of single-use plastic in National Parks.”
Oceana (January 13, 2022). “Oceana single-use plastic and national parks survey.” (pdf)
