8 February 2012 | Alan Bouquet
Bioplastic, Food and agriculture, Europe

 

Excessive packaging is one way supermarkets can look to reduce waste

Packaging has long been a point of contention for those campaigning against excessive waste, but now a new packaging technology means levels of food waste could be cut considerably.

Working with It’s Fresh Ltd, Tesco is trialling a new patented strip with high tech minerals and clay which absorbs ethylene, which is a hormone causing the ripening of fruit. The scheme will begin with tomatoes and avocados, but could be used on other fruit if successful. It is thought that the trial alone could save 1.6 million packs of tomatoes and 350,000 packs of avocados per year.

Marks and Spencer announced a trial along similar lines for strawberries last week, and is a major coup for It’s Fresh to get two major supermarkets on board within 2 weeks. It is claimed the technology is 100 times more effective than any previous technology and does not affect the recyclability of the packaging. The strip is around 8cm by 4.5cm.

The Marks and Spencer trial is claimed to save 800,000 strawberries a week from being binned, extending shelf life for around two days. It has a high profile sustainability policy, with 180 commitments to sustainability which they hope will make it the most sustainable retailer by 2014.

It already reported last year that the company saved £70 million through its sustainability program in 2010/11. Packaging was only £11 million of this, with better energy use accounting for £13.5 million. It also recycles all of its food waste, along with 94% of unsold goods. Transport is a key area too, with fuel efficiency improving by 20% and a move towards rail distribution, renewable energy and more efficient refrigeration systems contributing further savings.

Tesco on the other hand has seen its market share in the UK dip below 30% for the first time in seven years, as stiff competition began to bite into the companies sales. It is hoped that sustainability drives like this will help save the company money as well as bring more discerning, environment conscious customers, back to the store.

Sustainable packaging is a particular growth area, with many new packaging products on the market in response to growing consumer consciousness of the issue. This includes minimalist packaging, using recycled and reusable content and biodegradable packaging. Companies like It’s Fresh are therefore moving into the market quickly.

Tesco’s ambient salad and avocado technologist Steve Deeble says, "We have already trialled the packaging in a storage environment and all the signs are that this could be one of the most significant developments in packaging for many years; so now we want to know what our customers think of it. If the trials prove to be a success then we could start rolling out the packaging by Easter."
 

Img 1 | Individually Wrapped Strawberries | Chris 73 | WikI Commons

Img 2 | Food Waste | Eli Duke | Flikr Commons

blog comments powered by Disqus