A stroll around most supermarkets reveals how important plastic seems to be in the sale of fresh food. Fruit and vegetables are often wrapped in plastic while meat and fish usually comes in a tray encased in clingwrap. But questions are starting to be raised about whether more should be done to reduce the reliance of supermarkets on plastic packaging, as the debate extends beyond cutting down on plastic shopping bags. For instance, Sainsbury’s in UK recently announced that they will be trialing plastic packaging-free fruit and vegetable aisles in their grocery stores. Customers are given the option of bringing their own containers or buying a reusable drawstring bag for loose produce. But experts and industry players think a similar move in Singapore is unlikely. MP for Nee Soon GRC Louis Ng agrees that there is a hygiene concern in eliminating plastic packaging or plastic bags for fresh produce. Nonetheless, environmental expert and founder of Plastic-Lite Singapore Aarti Giri thinks local supermarket chains could do more to reduce plastic packaging on fresh produce.... Continue Reading