Why is fresh produce wrapped in plastic? | Take a stand and shop plastic free

We all know that our ocean is suffocating in plastic - but how did it get there? A huge 91% of the plastic that is produced isn't recycled and is ending up in landfill, waterways and the ocean. When you consider that 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced since plastic's inception in 1950, that is A LOT of plastic that has no where to go and ends up in our beautiful ocean, in the stomachs of or choking our precious wildlife.

A huge source of plastic waste is food packaged in plastic. It is bad enough that pretty much all processed foods are packaging in plastic but fresh produce is really just taking it too far.

Have you ever walked down the aisles on your local supermarket and been frustrated with the amount of fresh produce packaged in plastic? Why does this happen? Do they feel that by suffocating tomatoes in plastic they will stay fresher for longer? Or is this a result of consumer demand for produce wrapped in plastic?

Our amazing planet has given fresh produce like bananas, oranges and sweet potatoes a natural 'food wrapping' in the thick protective skin that surrounds them. There really is no need for produce like this to go into multiple layers of plastic + a styrofoam tray. There are also now alternatives to plastic produce bags, like the KAPPI organic cotton produce bags. 

The wonderful folks at Greenpeace have started a petition to get the message across to Woolworths and Coles to end plastic packaging on fresh produce! Help spread this message by signing their petition here:

1. Sign the above petition
2. Don't buy any fresh produce that is wrapped in plastic
3. Don't use plastic produce bags at the supermarket!
4. Invest in some reusable produce bags and take them with you when you go shopping
5. If you forget your reusables, you can have your fresh produce loose in your trolley or for things like spinach and herbs use the paper mushroom bags instead of plastic
6. Purchase less packaged processed food and go to bulk food stores like The Source Bulk Foods