WASHINGTON, DC - Sustainability ranks high on the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) list of industry goals, and one way the organization is looking to achieve this is through more sustainable packaging. Recently, IFPA submitted public comments on the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste.
“We are fully committed to reducing, (with the long-term goal of eliminating) single-use packaging waste. Environmental footprint of single-use packaging is self-evident. At the same time, as an industry, we owe it to consumers of fresh produce to deliver a safe and nutritious product of top quality,” said IFPA Chief Science Officer, Dr. Max Teplitski. “Our industry needs to be clear-eyed: these proposed revisions will have a major impact on the bilateral trade with the EU, as well as on the availability, use and reuse, refill, and recycling of single-use packaging. We welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes on the single-use plastic packaging regulations.”
Some of the comments issued by IFPA include:
- IFPA applauds EU’s recognition that plastic packaging is the most effective way for minimizing microbiological hazards and supports exemptions in Annex V aimed at avoiding microbiological hazards
- As a fresh commodity with a significant water content, plastic packaging is critical for reducing water loss and thus maintaining quality and consumer appeal of the product
- To maintain the environmental commitment and to provide safe product to the consumers, IFPA stressed the importance of ensuring access to compostable plastic or compostable composite packaging that is appropriately labeled as to prevent the contamination of the recycling stream
- IFPA also urged regulators to exempt functional produce stickers that are less than a square inch in size from this pending regulation
As a press release outlined, these public comments demonstrate IFPA’s strategy for promoting sustainable packaging for the fresh produce industry while ensuring food safety and quality of the product and reducing food loss and waste along the supply chain.
In addition to advocating for sustainable packaging on behalf of the industry, IFPA leads public-private partnerships aimed at developing technological solutions. Working with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, USDA Foreign Ag Service, Institute for Food Safety and Health at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Sinclair and Wintermute Biomedical, IFPA supports developments of home-compostable PLU stickers and cost-effective tools for sanitizing reusable packaging.
IFPA’s full comments can be viewed on the European Commission website.
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