Statements by Foodwatch about packaging for fruit and vegetables are partly incorrect and misleading, the DVI criticizes.

The consumer organization Foodwatch had recently called on German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Bündnis90/Die Grünen) to follow France's example and ban plastic packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables and end the "plastic madness." Unpackaged goods must become the standard in supermarkets, Foodwatch Germany demanded. Foodwatch's claims are countered by the German Packaging Institute (DVI) that fruit and vegetable packaging protects the climate and the environment. Doing without packaging was a big mistake ecologically, warns the DVI. Packaging extended the quality, integrity and shelf life of fruit and vegetables by days, weeks or even months. Food contained valuable resources such as water, fertilizer and energy. Thus, the ecological footprint of a packaged food product was around 16 to 30 times greater than the footprint of the packaging. In addition, food packaging as a whole causes only about 0.7 percent of the total climate footprint of European consumers, explained DVI executive director Kim Cheng. Damaged or spoiled food that must be disposed of unused is the biggest climate and environmental enemy, she said. Currently, about 10.6 million tons of food end up in the trash in Germany, Austria and Switzerland each year, according to the DVI.
 
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