A group of expatriate women in Hong Kong have launched a campaign, calling on supermarket chains to use less individual plastic packaging on fruit and vegetables. Sandra Carvajal, from Colombia, said she had seen an increasing use of plastic compared to when she first arrived in the city 11 years ago.
She shared her concerns in a post on a local Facebook page urging people to lobby local supermarket customer service departments, spurring other shoppers to file complaints.
“Every [piece of] fruit is wrapped individually or in pairs. It doesn’t make sense to me,” Carvajal said.
A major concern for the group is that the overuse of plastic is placing pressure on the city’s landfills, which are estimated to reach capacity by 2020. Plastic wrap also takes a long time to fully decompose and may be harmful to wildlife.
Cristina Gallio, a five-year resident of the city, said people often do not think of the consequences of using plastic wrapping.
“I notice that mainly [in] stores where Western products are sold or Western people are buying - you find over packaging.”
In response to questions from the Post, Hong Kong’s big supermarket chains said they were striving to balance between food quality and environmental friendliness.
City’super, which brands itself as a high-end chain that sells imported produce, said it used different packaging methods based on the level of fragility, storage and protection needs.
“For example, fresh herbs and soft fruits such as grapes and strawberries need delicate care to minimise spoilage and water loss,” a City’super spokeswoman said.
She also said the store had introduced biodegradable clear polyester bags and trays, which could easily decompose, while introducing more loose sales of fruits and vegetables.
At Taste, a high-end supermarket under one of the city’s biggest supermarket chains, ParknShop, Carvajal said it appeared it was organic produce which was predominantly wrapped in plastic.
A spokesperson for ParknShop said packaging was used to protect imported fruits and vegetables during delivery.
“In general, organic fruits and vegetables are pre-packed to prevent cross-contamination with conventional products,” a ParknShop spokesperson said.
Dairy Farm, which owns Wellcome and Market Place, said it “seeks to avoid unnecessary use of packaging materials, including plastic”.
Last March, another petition, titled “Stop wrapping Hong Kong’s produce in plastic”, on change.org, which was initiated by female expats garnered close to 2,500 signatures from supporters. It was delivered to ParknShop, Wellcome, and their parent companies.
The Environmental Protection Department told the Post that “there is a strong community consensus” on food hygiene, therefore discouraging excessive packaging is still on voluntary basis.
