Organic fruits and vegetables sold in plastic packaging. But what's the point? Just to raise the price?

CAMPAIGN AGAINST PACKAGING

Have you ever been to an organic store ? Next time you do, take a close look at the packaging and how the products are sold. I see a wasteful paradox in several organic stores—I don't know how else to describe it, but one I understand very little about: fruit and vegetables packaged in plastic.

We're in the midst of a classic contradiction. An organic product, which therefore rejects a whole series of chemical treatments from production to sale and also represents a culture of environmentally conscious consumers, collected in plastic ? What's the point? Perhaps, and I don't think I'm being too malicious, the only mitigating factor is that we're faced with a classic case of misappropriation of the organic label , used solely to increase the prices of certain products.

ALSO READ: No more straws. A campaign to eliminate them from bars and public spaces has begun in Terni.

THE CAMPAIGN DESNUDA LA FRUTA

This contradiction was further confirmed to me by discovering a campaign promoted in Spain by Isabel Vicente, an engineer, environmentalist, and blogger at " La hipótesis Gaia ," a website through which she promotes the #DesnudaLaFruta initiative . It all began when, while shopping at the supermarket, Isabel came across what you see in the image: an onion placed in a mini Styrofoam tray and wrapped in cling film.

A situation that made her reflect even more on the enormous consumption, indeed abuse, of packaging : materials that are most often useless, which do nothing but increase the already enormous amount of waste produced.

The image, published on Isabel's blog's Facebook page, quickly went viral. The campaign, promoted in collaboration with Patricia Reina and Fernando Gómez of the blog " Vivir sin Plásticó ," is garnering widespread acclaim.

What's the point of wrapping onions , oranges, lemons , and bananas in plastic and Styrofoam packaging ? And look at this image posted by a user on Isabel's blog's Facebook page: a mandarin segment enclosed in useless packaging. Doesn't that seem like a waste to you too?

WHAT TO DO TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PACKAGING

Once again, though, if you think about it, the final word belongs to us consumers . When faced with an organic shop that packages fruit and vegetables in plastic, we have a very powerful weapon: don't buy anything and change suppliers . Moreover, it's not out of the question that that plastic, with such prolonged direct contact with fruit and vegetables , could alter their flavor and properties. Therefore, organic sellers must be consistent: they must sell their products correctly. Without plastic. Otherwise, they should forgo this eco-label.

( All images are taken from the Facebook page of the blog “La hipótesis Gaia” )

PLASTIC OBJECTS THAT WE CAN EASILY ELIMINATE:

• Plastic straws for drinks: let's eliminate them. Like many bars around the world have done (photo)
• Cotton swabs are useless and harmful. For earwax, soap and water are enough.
• Salad and vegetables, but why do we keep buying them in plastic bags? We pay more, and we don't save time.
• Ten items we can use better. By reducing their quantity and replacing them (photos)