From the 1st of January 2022, unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables will no longer be allowed to be sold in plastic packaging, according to the anti-waste law for a circular economy (Agec law). Barbara Pompili, French Minister of the Ecological Transition, Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, Finance and Economic Recovery, and Julien Denormandie, Minister of Food and Agriculture, have signed the decree framing the ban on plastic packaging for unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables.
Today, approximately 37% of the fruit and vegetables are still sold in packaging. This measure will help eliminate more than 1 billion unnecessary plastic packaging each year.
Some 30 unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables will then be sold without plastic: apples, pears, oranges, bananas, clementines, kiwis, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit, plums, melons, pineapples, mangos, passion fruit, persimmons, as well as leeks, zucchinis, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, round tomatoes, onions, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, squash, parsnips, radishes, Jerusalem artichokes and root vegetables.
The decree provides for a progressive implementation of this ban so that by 2026 at the latest, all the fruit and vegetables will be sold without plastic packaging.
The decree is the result of extensive consultation with stakeholders, economic actors and civil party representatives. It will be published on Tuesday, October 12th, including a calendar that gives the possibility of finding and using alternative solutions until June 30th 2026, for the fruit and vegetables with a significant risk of deterioration when sold in bulk. Peaches and apricots, ripe fruit, sprouted seeds, red fruit, or the vegetables harvested in the spring before reaching full ripeness, will benefit from delays between June 30th 2023 and June 30th 2026. A tolerance delay of 6 months is also planned in order to get rid of all the packaging still in stock.
For more information:
agriculture.gouv.fr
Photo: Pascal Xicluna / agriculture.gouv.fr