Packaging why so much.

If you go to a larger store of any discretion you will invariably have some kind of packaging to dispose of afterwards. Normally you will find the bigger the store, the larger the chain the worse the whole problem can become. And why do we all need it so much, I never asked for it did you.

Well in a way we did but know in a direct way but in an indirect way. As consumer we have in the west have a constant range of cheap and readily available food. Not just locally produced food but food from around the world. Food that will keep for long periods of time with out going off, or getting contaminated. Food that we can take home just pace in the oven and cook. No preparation on our behalf and the convenience of saving time and effort. And it is for these very reason that we have the burden of so much packaging.

Take average ready meal. You need to put that in a dish that must be food safe and can be reheated. This needs to be sealed so that nothing can get in to it. And out side of that an outer case that must carry all the information that is required regarding what is in it to its nutritional information, cooking instructions, how to store it, best before date, use by date the list goes on and on. And all this for the safety of the food for the customer. And on top of that you have the packaging that the food was shipped and moved around in as well that is discarded before you even see it on the shelf.
What we need and what we are beginning to see is a signal piece of packaging that does all of this and is recyclable. But what of the cost. In the U.K. we used to have milk men who would leave you your milk on the door step in a bottle. You would use the milk and place the empty bottle on your door step and the milk man would take it way. But as super markets began to sell milk for half the price soon all the milk men and the milk floats all went from the streets.

It is no good having a high ideal that will not sell to the consumer. As the consumer will not go for it. We want cheap food and no extra cost for the packaging. So the manufactures go for some thing that is off the shelf and plentiful to keep cost down. The packaging manufactures produce more of the same and no one look for a solution. We all know that it is bad but what can we do.

Or do we do what the supermarkets have done in Briton with the free plastic bags. Forced by legislation the supermarkets had to reduce the number of plastic bag they gave free to shopper. If they did not the company would face a penalty. Not wanting to lose money and also not lose customer every supermarket took the bags away from the till and encouraged people to get a reusable shopping bag. They gave reward points for people who used there own bags and now you hardly see people with loads of plastic free bags.

I am not one for to much big government but in this case it worked. Maybe that is the way to go. And you never know but it makes sense that less packaging will also reduce the cost some more as well.