There was no plastic in the garden of Eden!
But now it is extremely difficult to find a naked cucumber or a green pepper that is not covered in plastic. This is damaging our planet and our health. We already know that microplastics are entering our food system so having veggies and food touching plastic sometimes in the heat is not good for our health
Stopping food waste?
The argument that the plastic producers use is that covering veggies in plastic is to save food waste. However the reality is that putting food in packaging forces you to buy more than you need which leads to more waste , both of the food and the plastic packaging – you end up buying a kilo of tomatoes when you only need 300 g. for example
So our challenge today is – ask for naked veggies in your local supermarket. Most supermarkets have at least a few – apples etc that you can buy by weight. Ask to speak to the manager and ask if they can please extend the naked veggie section. If you have a community whatsapp group or facebook page, encourage others to do the same. Once the supermarket manager starts getting multiple requests they will quickly change – especially if you hint you will shop elsewhere in a shop with less plastic!!
How to keep veggies for longer
And while we are on the subject – how can we keep our fruit and veggies for longer before they go off? Here are some tips from food24.com!
Starting with : Take fruit and veggies out of the plastic packaging (they sweat!)
In a cool, dry place:
- Potatoes and sweet potatoes – and they should be kept away from onions as the gasses that onions emit will make them ripen faster.
- Mushrooms – and they should only be washed just before use.
- Butternut and other squashes.
In the fridge:
- You can either compost those or use them in soups. Berries, should be stored in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to soak up excess moisture.
- Halved, cut or mashed avo should be sprinkled with some lemon juice to stop it browning and then stored in an airtight container. Keeping the pit in the avo prevents it from browning as well.
- Store apples in the fridge – they’ll soften faster at room temperature.
- Asparagus should be wrapped with a moist paper towel and kept in the fridge.
- Beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips and ginger will do fine in the vegetable drawer. Remove their green, leafy bits first, though, as they pull moisture from the vegetable.