Monday 11 October 2021
Rule for fruits and vegetables
France bans plastic from supermarkets
In France, around a third of fruit and vegetables are packed in plastic on the shelf. Against the resulting mountains of rubbish, a new regulation is to take effect from next year: Around 30 types of fruit and vegetables are then to be sold plastic-free. The ban is to be extended later.
Around 30 types of fruit and vegetables will only be allowed to be sold in France without plastic packaging from next year. The responsible ministries announced a corresponding regulation. Consumers will only find cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, leeks, zucchini, aubergines and cauliflower on the vegetable shelf without plastic packaging. In the case of fruit, apples, pears, mandarins and oranges are affected.
With the ban, the French government wants to reduce plastic waste. It is estimated that 37 percent of the vegetables and fruits in France are currently sold packaged, the ministries said. The rules should therefore save more than a billion plastic packaging annually.
Until six months after the ban has come into force, remaining stocks of fruit and vegetables with plastic packaging can still be sold over the counter. The ban is to be gradually extended to more and more products. From 2026 onwards, fruit and vegetables made of plastic will no longer be allowed to be sold.