Why is so much food packaged in plastic? I understand it’s probably cheaper than using wood or metal or other forms of packaging but it’s just so wasteful. I think people would prefer more “premium” packaging materials as well.
In: Culture
Not only is it lighter than metal and more durable than glass, many types of plastic packaging also extend the shelf life of perishable foods, which reduces food waste.
Before modern packaging and refrigeration a lot of food was wasted because it didn’t survive being transported from the farms to cities. Also, people used to get food poisoning more frequently because of food spoilage and poor sanitation.
For instance, a head of lettuce will wilt very quickly after it’s picked. If it’s put in a completely sealed container it won’t wilt but it will start to rot after a couple of days so you need lots of holes for ventilation. Plastic clamshells keep the lettuce at just the right humidity plus they prevent the leaves from being crushed.
Meat packaging is similar. Vacuum sealed plastic bags keep oxygen away from the meat, which keeps it fresh longer and plastic wrapped trays are often filled with nitrogen or carbon dioxide to displace the oxygen for the same reason. Paper wrapping isn’t airtight and wouldn’t work the same way.
From a producer’s perspective, if $50 worth of plastic packaging means an extra $1000 worth of food gets sold instead of rotting in the truck or on the shelf, it’s worth the price.
Right now about 80% of people live in cities and there just isn’t enough room in and near cities to grow enough food for all those people. Food has to be transported from the places that have enough land and water to grow it to the places where people live. And without a good market for their food in the cities, many farmers wouldn’t be able to stay in business. Making transportation more efficient means a lot more of that food gets eaten instead of being thrown away.
Source: Ag major in grad school.
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