Our parents and grandparents they knew how to live without plastic. Almost all food and drinks were sold in bulk or in reusable containers. But at some point we lost what could have been a heritage of sustainable living, and substituted it with the excessive use of millions of plastic bags, containers and coverings of all kinds.
Now New Zealand seeks to return to a simpler and much more sustainable model of life through the campaign Food in the nude or âNaked foodâwith which it seeks to create a new contemporary awareness throughout the food consumption chain, that is, from manufacturing to transportation and sale in the supermarket.
Under this campaign, the New Zealand government hopes that end the use of plastic in fresh foodwhich will be sold «naked», while strategies will also be operated to make all packaging and labeling 100% reusable by 2025.
As confirmed by new zealand herald:
The sale of vegetables has skyrocketed by 300%
since the measure was implemented in some supermarkets.
You might think that fresh food out in the open runs the risk of oxidizing, wilting, or ripening too quickly, but the system to keep them fresh is very simple. Only water sprinklers are used -which is previously purified with reverse osmosis-, which are activated a few times a day. Additionally, this makes fresh food more attractive to consumers, which would explain the increase in vegetable sales.
In this way, the âNaked Foodâ campaign will bring better health to New Zealanders, and will be accompanied by more sustainable practices. And it is that, as is known, vegetables, fruits and vegetables They are much more sustainable foods than those of animal or industrial origin. So, if there is an increase in the sale of fresh food, it is to be expected that there will be a decrease in the consumption of foods with the greatest ecological footprint.
However, there could be one last objection to this measure: how can we do our shopping without plastic bags and containers? The truth is that it is very simple, and it only requires replacing some materials and changing some habits. For example, getting used to taking cloth bags of all sizes to the supermarket, hermetic silicone bags for meat, or even banana leaves.
Imagination is the limit of our sustainability. And as New Zealand proves, it all depends on the collective will.
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