United States
Canada
FiberHere we go again. Another politician has decided to make it hard for local food service businesses to prosper and grow by imposing bans on the types of food packaging they may use. This time in the state of Massachusetts. It ironic because if you read this Senator’s biography, part of it says “…focusing on economic growth, expansion and initiatives…”. If he really did the homework on this he’d realize by banning PS foam items, he’s forcing small businesses to choose alternative packaging that is sometimes 3 times as expensive. Instead of me rambling on about the negatives of this awful and job killing bill that will do nothing but increase pressure on small businesses and trade one type of litter for another. I’ll instead defer to the American Chemistry Council who have written a very well thought out and thorough opposition letter to this toxic legislation.
Stay Connected:
Visit The Green Room:
Archive for the ‘Rants’ Category
Food Packaging Bans in Mass
January 19th, 2012Food Packaging Goes Hollywood
January 13th, 2012The other evening I was watching a little TV and noticed one of our foam hinged take out containers being used during one of the scenes. I knew it was a Genpak foam hinged container because I’ve worked here long enough to recognize our stuff at a quick glance. Drives my wife nutty when we are out and I spot a Genpak item. I’m driven to tell her the item code by the same instinctual drive that makes salmon swim upstream to their place of birth to mate. But I digress. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to spend a few minutes to try an find actual shots of our stuff being used in TV. Here’s what I came up with.
The Big Bang Theory has quickly become one of my favorite shows. Here we see Sheldon and Leonard during one of the many meal scenes with our BLK10 and what looks to be our 20500. If you look really close at the inset picture in the lower right, you can see our signature mustache design which is the give away here.
Since there are often take-out meal scenes in this show, it was easy to find several. Here is another scene where our SN203 large hinged container is being used.
Moving on, this one is my favorites as you can even see the embossing decoration we do. The Have A Nice Day is one of our more popular stock embossed jobs. Here it looks to be our SN223 sesame container. There’s also a 21900 hinged container on the table.
This one is from the same episode. I included it because I thought it was funny that they are actually using this container upside down. They placed the food in the lid. That big empty part of the 20500 is actually where the food is supposed to go. I guess they probably don’t actually use real take out food as most restaurants would know where the food is supposed to go. Oh well, we’ll give them a pass this time I suppose.
Switching away from this show, I remembered an episode of Seinfeld where one of our plates was in a shot. It was the episode where George tries to mix his lovin’ with food and television. Here we see George in action while reaching for a pastrami (the most sensual of the cured meats) served on a 71000.
Our stuff is seen regularly on the Food Network as well. Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives is one where we show up often. This was taken from a show focusing on Greek Gyros. The plate here is our LAM10.
I’ve also seen our stuff being used in movies as well. One I recall was Million Dollar Baby. The scene was where Clint’s character was bringing in lunch to Morgan Freeman’s character. For the life of me I could find any images to post though. The point here is take-out food packaging is part of the fabric of everyday life. So much so we see it in TV shows and movies that portray regular folks going about their business. We rely on it to keep our food fresh, safe and secure.
Food Packaging Is Essential
December 29th, 2011I’m not exactly sure when some people started to consider food packaging as evil or something that was detrimental to our very fabric of life. But I’ve noticed a few blogs and articles being written that would suggest such a thing. I think many of those bloggers and stone throwers are the types of folks that just need a cause to be angry with. And with some of the recent legislation being forced upon food operators and consumers that prevent them from making their own decisions regarding food packaging, it gives those toxic bloggers something to latch onto. Many times, most of what is written contain misleading and many times out right false facts. I’ve read things so bizarre and misleading, I sometimes wonder if the people writing these articles bother to do any research at all. So, I’d like to take just a few of the most common falsehoods and shed some easily verifiable facts to them for you.
The first is that many types of food packaging are not even needed. For example say produce that are sometimes placed on foam trays and wrapped in plastic. Some argue that peppers, cumbers and the like have their own, natural wrapping and do not need extra protection. What they don’t tell you is that a cucumber that is wrapped in this type of packaging increases its shelf life from 3 days to 14 days. Similarly, studies show that other types of produce such as apples and grapes that are placed on foam produce trays and wrapped will reduce product damage and waste by up to 27%. If it were up to this small group of people who dislike any type of food packaging, supermarkets and grocery stores would be throwing what would and should be, perfectly good food stuffs going into consumers homes, right into the dumpster. Another little fact they never tell you about is that 40% of the food produced in the US is never even consumed. Much of the reason is food spoilage that could have been avoided with the correct type of packaging. 34 million tons of food waste end up in the solid waste stream with 98% of that going into landfills where they will eventually produce methane gas. FYI methane gas is 20 times more damaging than CO2 and landfills account for 17% of the methane emissions. Also and FYI, that foam tray and plastic wrap, when properly disposed of do not produce methane gases. Lastly, food waste at supermarkets and other food operating establishments represents $40 billion in waste. Again, with the right type of food packaging, that number does not need to be so high. Food packaging will extend the product shelf life by preserving freshness, even when it gets to consumers homes as well as protect it from damage. Don’t take my word for it. Try an experiment on your own and see the results. The next time you buy a bunch of bananas, split the bunch in half. Wrap one half with the type of packaging I talked about and leave the other as is. See how many days those bananas last. You will be amazed at the results.
The second topic I’d like to cover is the call for all food packaging to be biodegradable/compostable. Anybody who has read my blogs previously knows I’m a believer in compostable packaging. In fact we offer a very wide selection of compostable packaging with our Harvest Fiber brand. What I am against is this dictator like approach that forces food service businesses into this one type of packaging. What these ill informed people fail to realize (including many legislators) is that while most of the traditional food packaging is manufactured right here in the US, nearly all of the compostable types of packaging are actually produced in China. Every time a ban is imposed in favor of one type of packaging not made here in the US, more pressure is placed on an already dwindling US labor force. Don’t get me wrong. Not all compostable packaging comes from overseas. Some companies, like your friends right here at Genpak do produce this type of packaging here in the US. But I think most of it still is imported. Another point the “pro ban” crowd fail to consider is the economic effects their lopsided legislation has on businesses. Most all compostable packaging costs much more than traditional packaging. The economics of supply and demand have not caught up in this category yet. I need to point out that the reason these items cost more is not because the manufacturers are just charging more, it’s simply because the raw materials cost more and the products are much heavier than their traditional counterparts.
The last point I’d like to bring up is safety, specifically for foam food packaging. The naysayers love to use scare tactics that would lead you to believe you’ll contract some awful disease, grow a third eye or become afflicted with some other malady. Foam food packaging has been used SAFELY for over 40 years. What they don’t tell you is many health organizations encourage the use of single-use food packaging, including foam packaging, because it provides increased food safety by helping prevent food borne illnesses. By using, say plates and bowls once, it significantly reduces food contamination and the spread of diseases. According to a study done in Nevada and analyzed by a third party inspection agency, reusable food service items had much higher microbiological levels than single-use items. Using single-use items also eliminated possible cuts and scratches from chipped service ware and eliminated the need for dish washing that requires a great deal of electricity and water not to mention the possibility of water spillovers which could cause work place hazards. I’m not saying single use is perfect for ever situation, but I am saying it is a perfectly safe and viable, low cost option that has been successfully used for decades.
So, the next time you read some venomous article about food packaging do me a favor. Take a few minutes and confirm some the so called “facts”. You’ll quickly learn much of it is folk lore, half truths or complete falsehoods and it’s my guess you’ll debunk nearly everything being written.
Until next time…
California vote to cut jobs and raise prices
September 6th, 2011The California government has three days to decide on whether to hold a vote that, for the most part, will do a great deal of harm to their economy. This toxic piece of legislation is Senate Bill 568 and would prohibit food service operations such as schools, restaurants and convenience stores from dispensing food in any foamed polystyrene container or cup after January 1st, 2016. Although the effective date is a ways away, let’s consider some of the factors that will likely happen should this pass.
- The bill at your favorite food service establishment will likely rise. Reason being is, if they have a strong take-out program as most places do these days, the price of their containers just increased by about 20%. At the moment, that’s the delta between foamed PS containers and alternative materials available today.
- Layoffs at food service establishments will probably start to occur. Mainly for the same reason as above. Here’s a news clip video that pretty much sums this up. I love the recap at the end Mr. Cavuto does. I agree whole heartily and have vented about this before. With all the major issues our governments have to deal with, why are they wasting time with this type of legislation?
Now I know all the environmentalists out there are saying, well this will help save our environment. Let’s break that down. First of all, recent studies have shown that bans on certain types of materials (PS foam) for “greener” alternatives do not affect the litter stream in any way. All this does is simply replace one type of litter with another. Do politicians really think a litter bug won’t throw their coffee cup out their car window because it’s made from something other than PS foam? Of course they’ll still chuck it out their window. They are litter bugs! That’s what they do. Also, according to a 2007 study by Keep America Beautiful, take out food packaging, including both paper and plastic, accounted for only 4.1% of the total visible items on state roadways. Now I know any type of litter is a bad thing, but there is another 96% of stuff out there that makes up the most of it.
We also hear the argument that foamed PS is clogging our landfills. This topic was touched on briefly from that news clip. Here’s the real skinny. According to 2009 EPA statistics, single use foodservice items made up only 1.3% of the total materials headed to landfills. Now keep in mind that the 1.3% included all single use foodservice items. They did not break out just PS foam items. Again, a very small percentage of the total, just like the litter statistic. While we are on the landfill topic, we hear a lot of chatter about these materials not breaking down when they do end up there. This is absolutely correct. They don’t break down quickly. However, keep in mind, nothing breaks down quickly in a landfill. Plastic or otherwise. This topic was covered by Dr. Narayan in his very detailed report published in Bioplastics Magazine. Basically he states that landfills are not giant composters, but rather giant mummifiers.
Bans on certain materials in favor or say compostable materials don’t work either. Why? Well at the moment we simply do not have the infrastructure to divert all this material to compost facilities. Yes in a certain section of the country (Seattle) where a ready and willing compost facility exists, there is a diversion plan in place. Of course I don’t know if it is sustainable. Only time will tell there. Until a great deal more of these facilities come on line and become operational, all that waste is still going to go to a landfill. And we already know what happens, or rather what doesn’t happen in a landfill. As I’ve mentioned many times in the past, perhaps these “all knowing” politicians would be better served trying to figure out how to help the entreprenureal spirit of business growth (more composting facilities) and less time banning things that will do the exact opposite.
Now, please don’t get me wrong here. I’m not against alternative materials. Far far from it! At Genpak we were one of the very first food packaging manufacturers to offer a full line of BPI certified, 100% compostable items. In fact our Harvest Fiber line has grown dramatically since we first launched our Harvest series almost 6 years ago. As a company we also offer many other alternative materials ranging from #1 recyclable products produced using post consumer recycled content to source reduced hybrid materials along with microwave safe items that are not produced from foamed polystyrene. As you can see, it’s not like we haven’t got plenty products to offer where our elected officials wield their power. But I believe these transitions to different materials should happen naturally as a result of consumer preference. When this occurs gradually over time, businesses can adjust seamlessly as they always do. In fact it is occurring as we speak. The success of our Harvest Fiber and other lines are proof of that. However when government steps in and imposes its will, like what is happening in California, businesses get hurt. Just like the example in the video clip.
If you oppose this bill that would restrict the free market place for all food service venues, let your voice be heard. Follow this link and let your Assembly representative know your opinion. But please don’t delay or it may be too late!
Foam Food Service Packaging
February 17th, 2011My morning started out pretty good. Got the kid off to school, had my morning coffee and the temperature is actually reasonable (for this time of year)…then I read through some emails. Normally a fairly benign task to be sure. But in this morning’s emails were two articles regarding food service packaging. Needless to say they were not very complimentary as it seems to be lately. The first article covered the proposed ban of polystyrene food service products in San Mateo County which is a coastal community in northern California. Nothing new here really and it’s a topic that’s been covered many times within this blog, but I can’t help myself from tendering to you a thought or two. The article talked about two specific issues including marine litter and health concerns. It is true there is an issue with pollution of all sorts being allowed to enter the oceans. Foamed polystyrene seems to be taking the brunt of this. Why you ask? I’ll tell you. It’s because foamed polystyrene floats. You can see it. I’m sure you’ve heard of the old phrase “out of sight, out of mind”. Well that phrase applies here. Of all the trash, litter and debris people so carelessly toss out into the environment that make their way into our oceans, only those items that are light weight, like many plastic items such as foamed polystyrene can be seen because they float. All that other junk like tires, cans, hub caps and of course anything liquid sinks to the bottom where do their nasty work completely unseen. I’m certainly not suggesting that litter is not an issue. It is and should be addressed. But perhaps instead of banning products and causing increased costs to already over burdened restaurants, governments should step up the policing of litter bugs and enforce fines. Also, according to the Keep America Clean, increase the number of public trash receptacles and include lids. One of the main sources of litter is overflowing trash cans. One good gust of wind will carry any light weight item right out of it.
The other point of that particular article talked about this material as being a supposed health hazard. That it can leach things into food. The statement made in the article was very vague and general in terms. No official report or study was sited. Just a general statement. It always burns me when I see this type of statement. There has been plenty of talk and study done regarding BPA’s and their possible effects to humans. However, foamed polystyrene does not contain BPA. Never has to my knowledge. People need to realize that not all plastics are the same. Far from it. Each type has its own separate set of structures and it should not be assumed that all are the same. Just because one dog has fleas doesn’t mean the whole kennel is bad!
This segway’s right into the second article I read this morning entitled “Toxics Leaching From Plastic Food Packaging”. I will give this article credit in that it actually called out a few specific substances, but once again it failed to list the types of plastics in question. It’s like making a statement of “cars have brake problems”. First thing I’d ask is, which cars? Anyway, this article was talking about phthalates which is a substance used to make certain type of plastics like PVC (that plastic your water pipes are made from) more flexible. They are also used as coatings for pharmaceutical and supplement pills. PVC is not a material used for food packaging. I’d be more concerned about that pill coating since that is definitely consumed. I can report to you that nothing we make has phthalates in them!
The best part of this was that the article goes on to state “what you can do”, presumably to avoid this substance. The first was to buy whole, fresh foods. Fair enough. For those, you only really have to deal with the pesticides, herbicides and maybe even the stray GMO if your afraid of that (by the way my favorite GMO is the seedless watermelon and seedless grapes). The second was to take the DIY approach. For those of you who don’t know, DIY stands for Do It Yourself. The person who wrote that article is suggesting you purchase a food processor of some sort and make your own baby food or perhaps buying a dehydrator to preserve your own fruits. Okay that one might be a stretch, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt as I’m an avid DIYer, although not in the food processing game. More of the projects around the house kind. The third, and my personal favorite was to make friends with a farmer so you know which types of foods are in and out of season. I guess this is so you can buy only those products that are fresh and ripe for consumption. They even provided a web site that linked to a map showing what is in season in your area. Well, I decided to just check that out since tonight is grocery night. I, like millions of other people live in the Northeast, New York to be specific. The interactive map that is supposed to tell me what to buy for supper tonight (according to that author) said “Growing season is currently dormant here; opt for items in storage such as apples, pears and root vegetables”. Hmmm apples, pears and root vegetables. I can tell you a steady diet of apples, pears and root vegetable will not make me king of the household not to mention the undo strain this will put on our septic system due to all that fiber.
I guess my point to all of this is that, if you do read these articles and blogs on this or any topic, please don’t take what is written as the absolute gospel truth. Not even what is written here for that matter (although you can trust me). Do your own research. Find multiple reliable sources. See if there is collaboration to what is being claimed and draw your own conclusions. You’ll feel better having looked into it and you might even get a laugh out of what you find, like that crazy “what’s fresh” map which is completely worthless to those of us who live with ice and snow for 5 out of 12 months a year.
Until next time…
Thankfulness
November 24th, 2010Things I’m thankful for (in no particular order):
- Company luncheons so I don’t have to pack my peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the morning.
- Days off from school so I don’t have to pack my kid’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- The day before a major holiday because all the people who would normally call, email or otherwise ask me to do stuff are more than likely on vacation.
- The genius who invented the I-Pod so I don’t have to listen to Christmas music for the next 31 days (even though I’ll probably play some on the I-Pod).
- A spouse that will do most of the family Christmas shopping.
- The delete button.
- Most of all my rabid fan base of readers consisting of my mom & my spouse.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
No More Toys?
November 16th, 2010I don’t know if you’ve been following this, but those in the government who believe it’s their job to save us from ourselves are at it once again. This time in San Francisco where the Board of Supervisors have decided they know how to once and for all, cure childhood obesity. Think of it. A world where our young people grow up fit and trim with nary a love handle, extra roll or muffin top to be found. A world where kids will grow up not needing an oxygen mask to run from home plate to first base and where there will no longer be a need for that embarrassing walk into the “husky” section for a pair of pants. What is the answer you ask? What could these all knowing politicians have possibly dreamed up with to rid us of this problem. I’ll tell you. It is to BAN TOYS FROM ALL KIDS MEALS!
Yes of course! Why didn’t we think of this before? Ban all toys from kids meals. Totally genius! Brilliant beyond what words can properly describe. The connection is obvious. Kids toys…childhood obesity. It’s plain as day. For crying out loud it was right in front of us all this time. Makes perfect sense.
Are you kidding me? Just when I thought our elected officials couldn’t possibly get any more bizarre. What good could possibly come from this? Do the city leaders out there honestly believe that depriving some little 3 year old kid from their Luke Skywalker action figure is going to make them less likely to become obese? It has to be one of the stupidest propositions I’ve ever heard of. What study or research do you think they referenced to come up with this doozy? Maybe it was the “Small Plastic Toy Clearly Leads To Childhood Obesity” paper. I don’t know the names of any of the Board members out there but I think one of them must definitely looks like this.
I’ll bet they start every meeting by singing this. “It’s a difficult responsibility, that you accept from the number one law maker me! Have it known throughout the land from sea to sea. There’ll be no more toy makers to the king!”
When will our elected leaders realize that it’s the choices people make in life that lead to how we turn out? If I’m over-weight I’m not going to blame some company for offering a high calorie meal. Nobody made me eat it. I chose to eat it. The argument of “well that’s all some people can afford” doesn’t fly either. Just the other night I bought fast food from a quick serve restaurant for two. It cost me nearly $18. I guarantee I could have made a lower calorie, healthier meal for two for less than that.
Our elected officials need to move away from this theory that bans can cure all the vices in the world. What’s next? Ban TV from all households with children under the age of 13? After all a sedentary lifestyle leads to increased weight gain. Instead of banning toys from kids meals, perhaps fund new community playground or offer a sales tax free day for bicycles. Offer something constructive and positive. Banning toys from kids meals. Gimme a break.
More bans?
May 21st, 2010Well here we go again. More politicians have decided they are experts on food packaging. This time it’s New York state (Genpak’s home state by the way). State Senator Liz Krueger and Assembly member Brian Kavanagh have teamed with others in an attempt to ban the use of foamed polystyrene foodservice products in governmental offices and public schools. They kicked off this witch hunt by holding a rally on Earth Day at a Manhattan school, standing next to a giant pile of polystyrene products. They have also begun recruiting elected officials to sign their SPARE (Stop Polystyrene And Revitalize the Environment) pledge. I guess this document forces governmental office buildings to find other, (more expensive) forms food service packaging. Ms. Kruger went on to say she was proud to be part of something that will ban products blah blah blah, toxic to the environment blah blah, etc etc. All the same rhetoric that is mostly all false or half true.
Here’s what I think. Election day is right around the corner and if you are an incumbent, you’re fighting for your political life. Especially in New York where once again we have no budget in place because of all the political bickering. Hey, let’s find an easy target we can pick on that will make us look like good guys in the voters eyes. Styrofoam! Yes there we go, lets ban Styrofoam!
Let’s face it, foamed polystyrene (Styrofoam is a trade name by another company) is an easy target due to huge consumer misconception…partially fueled by the misinformation piled on by folks like this. These politicians make up neat acronyms like SPARE and stand next to a giant piles of garbage talking about the ills of the material. Most of what they are saying are totally incorrect.
I’m not going to go into all the misinformation Krueger and Kavanagh are saying on this post, but if you are interested, I’ve posted before regarding all the misconceptions of foamed polystyrene. They don’t take long to read and it’s real information offered by someone not looking to be elected.
One thing that should be said here is if they are successful, taxpayers in NY should know that most of the alternative materials available are significantly more expensive than foam. Yes there are alternatives. I know because we sell a ton of it with our Harvest label products. It’s compostable and made from annually renewable resources. But, unfortunately, it is more expensive. Given the economic crisis the politicians have put New York State in, I would think they should be looking for any savings they can get. Spending 15% to 20% more for alternative food service packaging is probably not the wisest choice at the moment.
Listen, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. We are not against alternative materials for food packaging. Far from it. Genpak is leading the charge for alternative materials. We have products made from annually renewable resources, products that have been significantly source reduced, products that are #1 recyclable, products that are produced with up to 50% post consumer recycled content and products produced from hybrid materials that replace a significant portion of the petrochemical resin with natural, annually renewable materials. What I’m against is politicians finding a business sector to regulate and control without knowing the facts, to make them appear grand in voters eyes.
I propose instead of SPARE they initiate DUMB (Don’t Usurp My NYS Budget) or perhaps STUPID (Stop Tying Up taxPayers Invaluable Dollars) and get to work on passing a budget for this great state. Let the foodservice markets and industries make their own natural progression toward the materials and substrates that make the most sense environmentally and economically.
Chicago City Council Proposes Cost Hike in Foodservice Ware
February 17th, 2010The City Council of Chicago has proposed a new ordinance that would effectively require foodservice operators in the city of Chicago, to pay substantially more for their single use foodservice items, by imposing a ban on those items produced from expanded polystyrene (EPS), which carries the #6 chasing arrows identifier number.
The ordinance, written by Edward Burke, states that food dispensing establishments must use a biodegradable (sometimes referred to as compostable) alternative. The following highlights are some excerpts from this ordinance.
* “…polystyrene food service products and disposable food service ware have a significant adverse impact on the environment…” . My question is, has a city council conducted an environmental impact study to back up this claim, or are they just empty words? On January 27th, the second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles blocked a ban on plastic bags in the community of Manhattan Beach because they never conducted an environmental impact report supporting their claims. It’s easy to say something has a adverse impact on the environment. It’s quite another thing to back up those claims with proven facts. It is however a well documented EPA fact (2007 data) that single use foodservice ware items make up only 1.2% of all materials headed to municipal solid waste streams. Also, once in a landfill, they do not produce methane which is an ozone depleting substance.
* “..in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the people…”. There is no question that single use foodservice products made from EPS are a sanitary option for food packaging. Two separate studies have proven that compared to other alternatives, single use EPS packaging provided a more sanitary choice as evident by significantly lower bacterial counts. (Source: FPI.org)
* “…toxic chemicals leach out of such products into food…”. No they don’t. Don’t mistake the current BPA issue going on with products made from polycarbonate plastic. EPS and polycarbonate are two completely separate materials. Polycarbonate is a clear, fairly shatter resistant plastic used to make things like reusable water bottles and baby bottles. Polystyrene is a FDA approved material for food contact.
The ordinance goes on to state that fines will be imposed of up to $500 for each “offense”. As if being forced into paying more for their single use foodservice needs wasn’t enough.
Look, I’ve said this before, we are not against alternative materials that are compostable, recyclable and the like. Just the opposite in fact. Genpak was the first manufacturer of foodservice products to offer a complete line of products from hinged containers to cups that were BPI certified compostable (those are our products in that picture on BPI’s main page), back almost four years ago. We were the first to offer post consumer recycled content into our Hinged Deli containers, which by the way are now endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association. We led the movement to reduce part weights (source reduction) without reducing quality, for microwave safe packaging. And we recently just expanded our certified compostable line to include our brand new Harvest Fiber products.
It is safe to say that not only do we not oppose alternative materials, but that we are leading the charge. What we are opposed to is having a local municipality shove an ordinance that will be an economic burden, down the throats of the very institutions that make that community great. Those of you that have visited the city of Chicago know the choices for an excellent dinning experience is endless. We are opposed to bureaucrats picking an easy target to attack, such as EPS, without doing the homework to review its overall effect on the community. If successful, will this ban simply replace one type of litter for another more expensive kind? Are there sufficient composting facilities in the area that accept food grade waste? Will a diversion plan be put into play to send materials to a proper facility? Has a more attention been given to public trash receptacles? The list of questions goes on and on. Maybe all these concerns have been addressed. If so, I applaud the council. If not, then this ban should be stopped.
Packaging in the Crosshairs
November 13th, 2009Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of bad press regarding packaging, especially foodservice packaging. There have been venomous articles written ranging from packaging filling up landfills to packaging that causes erectile dysfunction (no lie, just saw that one yesterday). Some writings do have valid points, but never really tell the whole story. Take the landfill debate for instance. It is true that most plastic packaging that is properly disposed of in a landfill, will stay there for a very long time. Nobody will debate that. What the folks who write those articles fail to tell their readers is that damn near everything that is disposed of in a modern landfill will also stay there for a very long time to come. This includes organic materials such as food waste, paper and even grass clippings. Why? Because most modern landfills are designed to keep light, heat and moisture out. These are the very things required to break materials down. I won’t bore you with all the science behind it, but you can certainly read what Dr. Ramani Narayan of Michigan State University states about landfills. In a nutshell and to paraphrase, landfills are not giant composting sites but rather giant mumifiers. But again, these are facts that enemies of foodservice and other packaging and misinformers who write about packaging won’t tell you.
As for the “plastic food containers are clogging our landfills” statement, here too, you are only being told part of the whole story. According to the EPA statistics for 2007, plastics (that’s all plasticsand not just food packaging) make up only 12.1% of all the material going into the municipal solid waste stream. The foodservice packaging portion of that is only 1.2%! They go on to state that organics of all things, make up the largest component of the materials. That would be your yard trimmings, paper and food waste. Here again, the naysayers fail to mention that little tidbit because it does not fit into whatever agenda they have.
What they should be talking about are the virtues of foodservice packaging. Here’s a few to ponder.
Sanitation – Single use food packaging has been proven to be more sanitary than reusable china and glassware. A 2002 study conducted in Las Vegas, NV concluded that 18% of the reusable items tested had higher than acceptable bacterial counts.
Water & Energy Savings – Industrial size dish washing units used by restaurants will consume 2 to 7 gallons of 150°F to 180°F water per minute. Do the math!
Food Spoilage – Insulated food packaging will keep take-out foods hot much longer which decreases the chance for food being tossed due to inadequate temperatures or food spoilage.
Worker Safety – Most single use foodservice packaging is very lightweight which reduces the risk for accidents such as back injury. It also helps reduce the risks of scratches and cuts that can happen with chipped permanent & glassware items.
Convenience – Many types of food packaging may be washed out and used over and over again in the home place for leftovers storage. Some, like our Smart Set Pro series are also microwave safe for further home reuse convenience.
So the next time you read an article, blog or other report droning on and on about the ills of such products, do me a favor and just do a little research on your own before passing judgment. Good sources of information are the FPI, BPI and EPA. Or just contact us and ask a question. I promise, we’ll give you the straight up answer without any spin.
