France to ban plastic packaging for most fruit and vegetables from January 2022

[rcjordan]

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211011-france-to-ban-plastic-packaging-for-fruit-and-vegetables-from-january-2022

[ergophobe]

A UK supermarket did this and saw food waste go up 50%

Plastic waste goes down, but carbon footprint goes up.

But perhaps having a whole nation do it will spur producers and suppliers to find a third option, like compostable packaging.

[Rupert]

I had a dream in the shower the other day

Of a small app, or browser addon, called Palm Free.  It could highlight products on grocery and other sites that are bad for the environment, and redirect them to better options.

Would it be easy to do?  Is the data there do you think?

[Brad]

> small app

It could be done and there is data.  I also think it's worthwhile.

However, it gets tricky and will get more complicated as production evolves over time.  Example: grown outdoors conventionally, strawberries use a lot of chemicals (pesticides, fertilizer, herbicides, etc.) and generally have a lot of residue.  But strawberries, when raised indoors, hydroponically require very few chemicals.  Costco, grows a huge amount of strawberries hydroponically for instance.  So to just point at all strawberries and say they are bad would be wrong, it depends on how they are grown.

[ergophobe]

I believe there are a couple apps like that. Scan the bar code and it gives you a report

[Rupert]

 

Scan the bar code and it gives you a report

That would mean being pro active.

I am thinking and add on that tells you primarily if there is Palm Oil in the product you are about to put in your basket.
I was not clear on that, and started waffling about other things that could be added to it


seems to me Palm oil one of the biggest single reasons for de-afforestation. So why do we still use it?  I think it was first used in Chocolate. I have no idea if I use/eat it or not really. 
Its in makeup, cereals, many processed foods, shampoo, detergents, margarine, crisps.... 

here is more
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/palm-oil/palm-oil-free-list

(Sorry, just realised I hi jacked the thread. Probably not worth spinning it off, unless someone else wants too)

[rcjordan]

>perhaps having a whole nation do it will spur producers and suppliers to find a third option, like compostable packaging

New process makes 'biodegradable' plastics truly compostable | Berkeley News
https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/04/21/new-process-makes-biodegradable-plastics-truly-compostable/