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The ban on plastic packaging will begin in January 2022 and will be progressive until 2026.
France
Wednesday 13 October 2021
FJ
End of plastic packaging for around 30 unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables as of January 1, 2022.
In France from January 1, 2022, it will no longer be possible to sell unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables wrapped in plastic. The decree provides for a gradual application of this ban so that by 2026 at the latest, all fruits and vegetables are sold without plastic packaging.
From January 1, 2022, around 30 fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables will have to be sold without plastic.
Vegetables : leeks, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes and carrots, round tomatoes, onions and turnips, cabbages, cauliflower, squash, parsnips, radishes, Jerusalem artichokes, root vegetables.
Fruits : apples, pears, oranges, clementines, kiwis, tangerines, lemons, grapefruits, plums, melons, pineapples, mangoes, passion fruit, persimmons.
But some fruits and vegetables are granted a suspension for the implementation of this decree, such as products packaged in batches of more than 1.5kg or those which present a risk of deterioration if sold in bulk. These exemptions concern:
.Until June 30, 2023 : tomatoes (ribbed, elongated, cherry or cocktail), early onions and turnips, Brussels sprouts, green beans, grapes, peaches, nectarines and apricots.
.Until December 31, 2024
: Endives, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, potatoes and early carrots, salad, lamb's lettuce, young shoots, aromatic herbs, spinach, sorrel, edible flowers, mung bean sprouts, cherries, cranberries, lingonberries and physalis.
.Until June 30, 2026: seeds, sprouts, red fruits, ripe fruits.
There is also a 6-month tolerance period for disposing of stocks of plastic packaging.
French professionals were surprised by the content of the decree, stressing that companies in the sector will have to face many technical problems, the unavailability of raw materials and an additional cost for alternative solutions.
According to Interfel, which brings together all the trades of the Fuits & Fresh Vegetables sector, the plastic used for fruits and vegetables represents less than 1.5% of the plastic used in the entire food sector. Interfel believes that this regulation does not take into account the technical and economic constraints of the sector, recalling having proposed the use of 100% recyclable plastic rather than a total ban on plastic.
source : france24.com, ecologie.gouv.fr
