Plastic back in France

There's still no guarantee that plastic will disappear from fruit and vegetable shelves in France. Last November, the French Conseil d'Etat cancelled a decree implementing the anti-waste law for a circular economy, known as the Agec Law. This text, published in June 2023, banned the retail sale of fresh fruit and vegetables in plastic packaging from July 2023, with the following exceptions: lamb's lettuce, young shoots, aromatic herbs, edible flowers, mung bean sprouts, sprouted seeds, ripe fruit, all berries (including cranberries and kiwais), endives, mushrooms, baby carrots, spinach and sorrel.

Coming into force before European standards

This was already the second version, the first, which came into force in January 2022, having already been rejected by the same Conseil d'État on legal grounds. On the contrary, the high court had called for the measures to be strengthened. This time, it criticized the government for failing to heed a request from the European Commission "to postpone publication of this decree [...] until at least December 15, 2023", explains the Matignon information site. Indeed, a European regulation designed to restrict the use of certain unnecessary packaging, notably single-use packaging for fruit and vegetables, is currently being drawn up. Brussels would like member states to introduce harmonized standards.

The majority of stores "outlawed"

In April 2024, UFC-Que Choisir conducted a survey of 854 supermarkets in France between April 13 and 27, to check what was happening with 10 common foods that should no longer be wrapped in plastic: avocado, banana, carrot, lemon, cucumber, kiwi, pear, bell pepper, apple and cherry tomato. As a result, 81% of all stores sold at least one of the 10 fruits and vegetables in the basket (1) in packaging made entirely or partly of plastic. Here again, discounters are the worst offenders, with 91% of Lidl stores and 88% of Aldi stores displaying at least one of these 10 products in plastic. Traditional supermarkets and hypermarkets fare little better, ranging from 86% of Intermarché stores to 77% for Carrefour and E.Leclerc - the best performers.

Lobbying by plastic manufacturers and agriculture

This decision does not prevent the government from adopting a third version of the decree, provided it complies with the procedures and deadlines in force within the European Union. Consumer associations such as UFC Que Choisir hope that the Ministry of Agriculture will not be swayed by the arguments of the measure's opponents - the plastics industry and the agricultural sector. All the more so as compliance with this measure was highly uncertain. Yet action is urgently needed. A report published on November 14 by the Office parlementaire d'évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques (OPECST) gives an alarming account of the impact of plastic pollution on human health. Source and photos: UFC-Que Choisir.

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