Editor James Massola from Nine Newspapers National Affairs drew attention to the sale of individually-wrapped cucumbers at Woolworths in a tweet on Saturday, commending the ACT government’s ‘terrific decision’ to ban plastic bags. He stated, however: “But the decision by @woolworths to individually plastic-wrap cucumbers (and some other vegetables) defeats the purpose of a plastic ban. Also, why on earth do cucumbers need to be wrapped?”
He received a lot of support, while others rightly pointed out that, at least in the case of continental cucumbers, the individual shrink-wrapping is actually necessary to reducing waste.
Due to the vegetable’s thin skin, naked cucumbers dehydrate quickly, become limp, and are vulnerable to damage during the journey from the greenhouse to your fridge. The plastic film, therefore, acts as a second skin – and can extend a cucumber’s shelf-life by almost a full week.
