Can we ‘nudge‘ people to replace plastic?

A new FSC backed fibre tray is being trialled to replace the plastic ones for ready meal packaging.

I wonder which retailer it’s being trialled with? M&S or Waitrose? Or perhaps the Co-op? Maybe Aldi? Iceland, who want to be completely plastic free?

When I worked with Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose etc on their food packaging, time and time again research and customer feedback showed that people like to see the food (which is why so many ready meals have those brands across the pack). If they can make eco-friendly films to work with this, it could be a winner. Black trays were seen to show the food off best, so different colours could be useful.

But which packaging is more or less eco friendly is a confusing issue. Blue Planet rightly highlighted the issue of how plastic affects the planet, but there are many different issues that contribute to whether or not packaging is eco-friendly. What it’s made from, weight, where its materials come from, how it’s transported, what is suitable for what food, what can or can’t be recycled. It’s not straightforward. And it should be.

We have written in the past about an eco-friendly (and ethical) traffic light system for the things we buy. You find this on energy efficiency for appliances and for how much salt and fat is in your food. At the recent YouTube sponsored FAB (Food and Beverage) forum at Googles London HQ, this same idea of a traffic light system for how eco-friendly packaging is was aired by a few of the speakers on stage.

Isn’t now the time for this? Let’s give consumers (I dislike that term, I prefer ‘people’) clear information to make a clear choice. Just a little nudge can make all the difference.

https://www.foodbev.com/news/huhtamaki-to-trial-new-fibre-based-ready-meal-packaging/