Foodstuffs tell store owners: stop selling veg on meat-trays

9th April, 2013
Foodstuffs tell store owners – stop selling veggies on meat-trays

Foodstuffs have announced major changes to the way they procure packaging, including moving towards 100% kerbside recyclable packaging for both produce and private label in future years.

Unpackit organiser Gina Dempster said the changes added up to a big step forward for the New Zealand supermarket co-operative, which includes the New World, PAK’n SAVE and Four Square brands.

“The Unpackit Awards are decided by public vote, and the message was given loudly and clearly to Foodstuffs when they won the Worst Packaging Award in 2012 that some of their packaging was frustrating customers.

“It’s to their credit that instead of getting defensive and hunkering down to protect the status quo, Foodstuffs have taken action to improve their packaging.”

Foodstuffs won the 2012 Unpackit Worst Packaging Award for a commonly-used practice of putting fruit and vegetables on polystyrene meat-trays and wrapping them in plastic.

Ms Dempster said with nominations for the 2013 Unpackit Awards opening yesterday, people had an effective way to give feedback to companies about the environmental performance of their packaging.

“When we first set up the Unpackit Awards in 2010, we did a survey which showed that 86% of people were frustrated by over-packaging, but many told us they felt powerless to do anything about it.

“The changes that Foodstuffs have made in their procurement practices reflect the power that consumers have when they speak together.”

Sustainability Manager Mike Sammons said that Foodstuffs have been working on improving the ‘footprint’ of their packaging since 2010 and following extensive research were now at a point to reap the benefits of some key sustainable actions such as;

• Providing specific guidance to all their store-owners to restrict the use of polystyrene meat-trays to butchery products only
• Working with suppliers to ensure their packaging aligns with Foodstuffs sustainability objectives around reducing the weight of packaging and improving the level of recyclability.
• Applying Life Cycle Assessment to all packaging procurement decisions.
• Trialling alternative more sustainable packaging materials

“As a socially and environmentally responsible retailer we are keen not to pass a burden onto our customers and that means supplying our products in packaging that has a reduced environmental footprint and can be recycled by our customers at their kerbside. We acknowledge the issues with polystyrene packaging and are focused on restricting its use in the short term and ultimately moving to an alternative more sustainable packaging material,” said Mr Sammons.

The Unpackit website has been relaunched today to coincide with the opening of nominations, and one of the main changes is to make it smart phone-friendly.

“People have said to us that they often see packaging that really annoys them when they’re in the supermarket, but they forget the details by the time they get home,” said Ms Dempster.

“Now people will be able to whip out their phone, go to the Unpackit website, and put in a nomination in less than 30 seconds. “
Unpackit Awards Timetable
Nominations for Unpackit’s Best and Worst Packaging Awards are open until July 5th.
Finalists in the Unpackit Awards will be announced on July 22nd, and voting will start on that day.
Voting closes on November 8th.

ENDS

About the Unpackit Awards
www.unpackit.org
The Unpackit Packaging Awards are run by Wanaka Wastebusters to encourage New Zealanders to choose smart packaging and raise awareness about the issue of packaging waste.
The Unpackit Awards have received financial support from the Waste Minimisation Fund, administered by the Ministry for the Environment. The Ministry for the Environment does not necessarily endorse or support the content of this media release.

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