It's a (plastic) wrap!
Depending how old you are, you probably remember a lot more of your food being in glass. Or at least, not in plastic. I understand why food companies use plastic... it's cheaper, and I'm sure they lose a lot less stock when it's in plastic compared to paper and glass, etc. It's lighter to transport too.
Do you remember when milk came in glass? Milk, then and now...
But image searches seem to suggest plastic has been around for quite a while. Cellophane (which is made of plant cellulose, but can be quite polluting to make) was the first. Now a lot of Cellophane isn't made of natural plant materials, or is coated with non-biodegradable materials. Tricky.
Of course you can make your own. But it can take a chunk of your day. I'm in the process of searching for a stainless-steel plastic-free bread machine. Sighhhhh. I'm making bread when I can, but we can't make all our own stuff? We need a massive extended famly, or a hippy commune, for that kind of thing. In between making my own hummus and yoghurt, and the daily chores, no time).
So it's loose bread at the bakery and ask them not to put it in plastic.
Better still, if it's not sliced, NO bag? How dirty are your own bags and baskets, really? All that scare-mongering about salmonella. Really. Otherwise, it's this:
or worse still, the old "fake brown paper" - a plastic bag disguised as a brown paper bag, designed to make us feel all wholesome and natural and guilt-free.
Then there's pasta. Again, not going to make my own every week. No time. We eat pasta at least once a week, and there aren't many options to buy it plastic-free. I was buying Woolworths organic, but not anymore with all that yucky plastic. Now, here's an ethical dilemma. The head of Barilla said last year that gays could eat another pasta. His pasta was all about the family - and a woman had a very special place in making that pasta... Really? Where to start?
The outrage went viral, as it does, and he tried to make amends, but... a lot of gay people have boycotted Barilla. My problem. It's just about the only pasta I can get here in Australia in cardboard.
Still searching for the perfect plastic-free non-homophobic pasta!
Now, on to a subject dear to my heart. Chocolate. Who remembers Cadbury's chocolate bars in the foil and paper wrappers? Now the wrapper's pure plastic.
Ahh, nothing like the cynicism of Big Chocolate... another "fake eco" product pandering to the masses. These big food companies don't care. They really don't, about anything but profits. I promise you.
I really do believe the Cadbury chocolate tastes different now that it's wrapped in plastic. I've bought it a few times (before I started to detox and... it tastes like... a balloon! Ha ha (of course I know what balloons taste like, I've blown them up for parties (not anymore, mind!)).
I used to do a home-delivery with these horrible big supermarkets! It was convenient but the plastic was ridiculous! Here's just the fruit and veg component of my fortnight's shop. I try to buy organic if it's available, which is expensive, but I can justify it. Only look at the packaging! It's actually worse for organic (because organic sits on the shelves longer in these big supermarkets). So you're trying to minimise environmental damage (surely you are? It's not just about buying a luxury health product - is it?) and yet look what you're sending to landfill. Aghgghgh....
Do you remember when milk came in glass? Milk, then and now...
What about honey? I can get organic honey in glass, but most people buy the supermarket brand, which comes in these convenient squeezy plastic containers. (The quality of the honey is another story, and beyond the scope of his blog!).
How about bread? I'm old enough to recall when bread came wrapped in waxed paper (in Australia in the '70s).
But image searches seem to suggest plastic has been around for quite a while. Cellophane (which is made of plant cellulose, but can be quite polluting to make) was the first. Now a lot of Cellophane isn't made of natural plant materials, or is coated with non-biodegradable materials. Tricky.
Of course you can make your own. But it can take a chunk of your day. I'm in the process of searching for a stainless-steel plastic-free bread machine. Sighhhhh. I'm making bread when I can, but we can't make all our own stuff? We need a massive extended famly, or a hippy commune, for that kind of thing. In between making my own hummus and yoghurt, and the daily chores, no time).
So it's loose bread at the bakery and ask them not to put it in plastic.
or worse still, the old "fake brown paper" - a plastic bag disguised as a brown paper bag, designed to make us feel all wholesome and natural and guilt-free.Then there's pasta. Again, not going to make my own every week. No time. We eat pasta at least once a week, and there aren't many options to buy it plastic-free. I was buying Woolworths organic, but not anymore with all that yucky plastic. Now, here's an ethical dilemma. The head of Barilla said last year that gays could eat another pasta. His pasta was all about the family - and a woman had a very special place in making that pasta... Really? Where to start?
The outrage went viral, as it does, and he tried to make amends, but... a lot of gay people have boycotted Barilla. My problem. It's just about the only pasta I can get here in Australia in cardboard.
Now, on to a subject dear to my heart. Chocolate. Who remembers Cadbury's chocolate bars in the foil and paper wrappers? Now the wrapper's pure plastic.
 |
| Cadbury's through the ages: paper to plastic |
Ironically, they (they being Cadbury's, so they being Kraft, so they being MonDelez) own a company called Green & Black's, which prides itself on selling Fair Trade Organic chocolate, and they wrap their chockie in the Old Skool paper and foil...
Ahh, nothing like the cynicism of Big Chocolate... another "fake eco" product pandering to the masses. These big food companies don't care. They really don't, about anything but profits. I promise you.
I really do believe the Cadbury chocolate tastes different now that it's wrapped in plastic. I've bought it a few times (before I started to detox and... it tastes like... a balloon! Ha ha (of course I know what balloons taste like, I've blown them up for parties (not anymore, mind!)).
Fortunately, there's a New Zealand company called Whittaker's that makes the most awesome chockie ever - better than Cadbury's (particularly the new plasticky Cadbury's). They do wrap their smaller chockies in plastic, but not their big blocks.
Oh, Whittaker's, please don't ever put these in plastic!
So, it's very hard to walk through the supermarket and find stuff that's NOT packaged in plastic. Steel cans? They're lined with plastic. And now there's a load of fruit and veg that comes pre-packed in plastic. It's a health nightmare from a bacterial perspective (ironically, it's handled a lot more and been on a lot more production lines) not to mention environmental.
Green leaves then and now...
I used to do a home-delivery with these horrible big supermarkets! It was convenient but the plastic was ridiculous! Here's just the fruit and veg component of my fortnight's shop. I try to buy organic if it's available, which is expensive, but I can justify it. Only look at the packaging! It's actually worse for organic (because organic sits on the shelves longer in these big supermarkets). So you're trying to minimise environmental damage (surely you are? It's not just about buying a luxury health product - is it?) and yet look what you're sending to landfill. Aghgghgh....
[Update: I first wrote this post last year. I have since been able to get off the big supermarket addiction. It does involve driving some way to a neighbouring town. There's a good green grocer's there, and an absolutely wonderful health food store.
It all comes loose in one cardboard box. Wahay! Off the supermarket chain store plastic treadmill!]
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