Packaging rant

[squidette]

I feel so cross!

I bought some yeo-valley organic tubes of yoghurt for the children's packed lunches and they are in a cardboard box. Fine. I open the cardboard box, expecting to be able to pull out a tube, but no! Inside the box is a PLASTIC TRAY!

why?????

In the same shopping trip, i also bought some jacob cream crackers. External plastic sealed wrap, cardboard box and inside the cardboard box is ANOTHER plastic sealed wrap!!!

This shop was in a supermarket (slap wrist) and as i was looking through the veg to compare prices of the organic with my veg box, ALL the organic is in PLASTIC WRAP! when the regular stuff is not! I did think maybe it was to protect it's 'organic status' ie, not have chemicals from the regular carrots waft over to the organic carrots with a bit of mud and green bits still attached. But really.

phew, feel better now. I am in no way perfect, nor aim to be, in the packaging department - although i have canvas and turtle bags, i sometimes forget them and use plastic. But for some reason, this really got to me. Especially those companies with organic produce wrapping them in even MORE packaging!

Although i did hear an amusing story/urban legend-by-now, that someone bought a 'I am not a plastic bag' bags in Sainsbury only to pay for it and then watch as the cashier put it in a plastic carrier bag.....

Oh squidette I share your crossness.

I complained to Sainsbury's only last week because their fresh herbs are now put in a plastic tray inside a plastic wrap, whereas they used to be just in one loosish wrap. Very silly.

And I get panicked when they start to pack for me cos I just KNOW they'll use the plastic bags instead of my bags for life and other shopping bags and that they'll double wrap things for no reason at all..... Aaarrrgh!

& when meat is vaccuum packed or safely sealed then they put it in a second smaller plastic bag before it goes in your big bag

I mean Ok if it were wrapped in paper (like in 'olden' days}

Have emailed the company about this. Glad it isnt just me who thought this!

why do they do that? the vacuum packing of meat and fish? sigh.

Glad to have company - feeling and all at the same time.

I hate having my stuff packed, endless plastic bags stuck inside pastic bags. I atways stop them or take it all out in front of them at the till. Don't care if I hold people up. I also say ploitely but firmly things like 'I really don't need a plastic bag for mone loaf of bread'

I have just got this reply...

Thank you for your email regarding Yeo Valley Organic Yeo's, I'm glad your family are enjoying them; it is always great to get feedback from our consumers.

Thank you for your comments regarding the packaging. Currently we are using both the box and tray packaging as our machine cannot be used without the tray, the machine counts the tubes into the tray which in turn is placed inside the box.

If the sales of Yeo's reach dizzy heights and stay consistently high we may consider replacing the Yeo's machine. Unfortunately we have not got the budget to afford to buy machines if they are not going to be used to their full potential.

I am pleased to let you know that the plastic tray is made from recycled plastic and is fully recyclable (PET 1) as is the cardboard. The plastic tray is very handy for popping the Yeo's into the fridge after the outer box has gone for recycling.

For your information the recycling logo symbol 1 = PET and the text 'made from recycled APET' was missed off the Yeo's tray by the manufacturer at launch, this was by mistake, It has since been added to the bottom of the tray.

Please check out the website at www.yeovalleyorganic.co.uk here you will find plenty of information about us with games, competitions, recipes and more. There is a link to the Yeo's site which is great fun for the children.

Thanks again for taking the time to write to us and I hope that you continue to enjoy Yeo Valley Organic.

yes most stuff is loose in supermarkets and people put them in a little bag.

Sainsburys organic stuff is normally packed in a cardboard tray with wrapping that says fully compostable. Now why can't they put the rest of the stuff in it? If you buy the taste the difference range it's in plastic wrapping and tray - whats all that about then?

mrspink - thanks for copying the email

I do think they slightly miss the point though - no plastic is far better than recycled plastic. And i am not sure i needed a handy container for my fridge before they told you! How on earth did i cope before?

Sainsburys seem very mixed up at the moment.

They have cauliflowers with the leaves removed in plastic containers - like globes. All for a cauliflower...

Squidette, I agree, why not just keep the tubes.... in the box???!!!!

Asda were in the news last week for selling a bag of INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED dried apricots. Official explanation something along the lines of "we wanted them to look like boiled sweets so as to appeal to kids."

On holiday last year went in to a supermarket where we were staying, and spotted a coconut which had a shrink-wrapped plastic cover. Surely of all things a coconut is one of the last things that need wrapping. Made me a DH very cross.

I neve understand why a cucumber has to shrink wrapped. Just stick the label on it fgs.