Plastics Wrap up food waste problem

Promotion of plastics as a means of keeping food fresh for longer by a top UK environmental organisation has been welcomed by industry trade body bosses.

Not-for-profit organisation the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) outlined how plastics can be used to reduce waste on its Love Food Hate Waste campaign website.

Wrap, which encourages recycling and waste reduction, said more than a third of the food we buy – or 6.7m tonnes – get thrown out of UK homes annually. Latest figures show a staggering 4.4m whole apples are binned every day.

Wrap chief executive, Dr Liz Goodwin, said: “These dramatic figures show that although we are all keen to do the right thing buying plenty of fruit and vegetables, the benefit is clearly being lost when food gets thrown out untouched.”

To combat the problem Wrap is providing detailed tips on how to store different types of fruit and vegetables in order to keep them fresher for longer.

Plastics trade body the Packaging and Films Association (Pafa) welcomed the move by Wrap. Its chief executive, David Tyson, said Wrap was “beginning to show signs that they are trying to make sure people recognise the benefits of using plastic packaging rather than purely criticising it.”

Tyson added: “At long last we are beginning to see a little bit of understanding about what packaging contributes. The life of food is protected by the packaging it is in. The whole plastic scenario is about protecting and conserving food.”

British Plastics Federation director general, Peter Davis, said: “The methane food waste gives off in landfill is a far more serious problem than is alleged about packaging.”

Tips outlined on the Wrap site include refrigerating lemons in a loosely tied plastic bag or in the pack they are bought to stop them drying out quickly. It said that melon chopped into pieces and stored in an airtight container in the fridge should last up to five days.

To save time, it suggests those preparing for a celebration meal can cut up vegetables such as carrots and parsnips the day before and store them in a plastic bag in the fridge to keep them fresh.

The website promoted re-use stating: “Reusing a plastic bag from the bread or other food bag would be ideal.”