Bag salad? One and a half kilo portions only
The latest idea from the EU in terms of sustainability is a ban on the use of plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables weighing less than one and a half kilos. A disaster according to the protagonists of this one the food chain which in 2030 could hit the so-called fourth range of bagged salads and single or double portion fruit already cut and packaged which, according to some surveys, produces a turnover higher than billion euros.
A 10 billion euro supply chain
“The problem -explains Stefania Grazianetti- quality director of Bonduelle Italythe French giant of the sector that packs in our country 160 million bags of salad – is that no one is able to consume a one and a half kilo bag of salad in a reasonable time. A package that, moreover, would not even fit in the home refrigerator”.
According to a survey 81% of consumers choose salads in bags (in packs of 100 or 200 grams), the 40% prefer mixed salads and the 30% choose washed and cut fruit. It should be emphasized that this food chain which is worth approx 10 billion between fruit and vegetables, production, processing and sales is already looking for greater sustainability in production processes.
Bonduelle: reduced energy consumption by 9%.
Bonduelle, which in Italy has one of the largest production plants for bagged salads near Bergamo and another a Battipaglia (Salerno) with, in total, 400 employees and 200 million in revenues, has just obtained, after three years of work, the BCorp certification which guarantees high standards in terms of governance and environmental impact.
“We have reduced by 9% the consumption of electricity – explained the CEO Frederick Odella– and soon we will install photovoltaic panels that will guarantee the 15% of the energy requirement not only in the Bergamo plant but also in the Battipaglia plant”.
The company also has reduced water consumption of 12% and of C02 emissions of 9% but on the plastic bag front, replacement is difficult.
Packaging from recycled material
“Our packaging (Bonduelle also packs salad with the brands of the main distribution chains such as Coop o long S ed) is 100% from recycled material – added Stefania Grazianetti – but at the moment we cannot find a replacement for envelopes even if we have reduced the percentage of plastic ones of fossil origin. We’re also doing a great job with our suppliers who are Italian farmers which produce in land very close to the establishments to help them in a path of regenerative agriculture to mitigate negative impacts on cultivated soil”.
In short, many efforts, including the 38% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions direct and indirect by 2035, but plastic fruit and vegetable packaging will be difficult to replace. It should be emphasized that the problem is obviously not only for bagged salad but also for fruit, such as blueberries or strawberries, which could only be sold in “tubs” of one and a half kilos. Far too much even for large families.