The ministry has issued a list of thirty fruits and vegetables that will not be able to be sold in plastic packaging from the beginning of next year. These include, for example, eggplant, leeks, round tomatoes, apples, bananas and oranges.
“In everyday life, we use a huge amount of disposable plastics. The Act on Circular Economics is aimed at reducing the use of plastics and supporting their replacement by other materials or reusable and recyclable packaging, “the ministry said in a statement.
According to his estimates, about 37 percent of all vegetables and fruits are sold in plastic packaging in France. After the introduction of the new measure, about a billion fewer pieces of disposable plastics will be used in the country, the office said.
However, the president of the French Federation of Fruit Sellers, Francoise Roch, told Reuters that the transition to cardboard packaging would be difficult in such a short period of time. “Selling unpackaged crops is also complicated because many customers touch the fruit and people don’t want other customers to touch their fruit,” she said.
Part of an extensive plan
The new ban is part of the French government’s extensive plan to eliminate plastics. Since 2021, plastic straws, cups and cutlery as well as polystyrene food packaging have been banned in the country.
Sliced fruit and a limited number of its delicate species will still be possible to buy in plastic after the New Year, but even that is to change gradually by 2026. From mid-2023, the ban will be extended to cherry tomatoes, green beans and peaches, and by the end of 2024 to chicory, asparagus, mushrooms, some salads, herbs and cherries. In 2026, fragile forest fruits will have to be sold in non-plastic packaging.
However, the French government has taken further steps to combat plastics. From 2022, public places will have to be equipped with public drinking fountains, which the authorities are trying to discourage people from buying bottled water. Magazines and newspapers will not be able to be wrapped in plastic packaging and fast food restaurants will not be able to offer free plastic toys for children. From 2023, fast food will also be allowed in fast food only if people take their food with them.
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