Reading a recent Eat. Drink. Better. post on looking deeper than the organic label, I couldn’t help but think of something that happened to me a few months ago. It was a late night and I was too tired to trek out to my food co-op, so I found myself in big-name chain, Safeway.
Strolling the produce section, I saw something so absurd, I couldn’t help but pull out my camera-phone and grab a picture . Check out my photo after the jump…
The photo you see here is of the individually plastic wrapped potatoes they were selling.
That’s right, dirty root vegetables all wrapped up in a shiny package. Do people even buy single potatoes? We all know you need more than that to make mashed potatoes. What makes the over-packaging even more grossly ridiculous is that if you look at the label, you can see that these spuds are organic.
I can just imagine how many people brought a bag of these home, thinking they were doing a great thing for the environment. It just goes to show, that you can’t rely on simply checking one label to know for sure how eco-friendly a product is.
As a vegan, that’s something I often remind myself. It isn’t always enough to simply scan the ingredients for animal products. Food comes with quite the history. We should always remind ourselves to look closer.
Sharon Troy
Sharon began working as Green Options' Office Manager, and has gone on to wear many hats, working also as Intern Coordinator, Editor, and Social Media Coordinator. In the GO office, she is perhaps best known as the founder and chef for the weekly "Soup Day." Prior to working with Green Options, Sharon earned a BA in Humanities from New College of California, and worked in the nonprofit arts and education sector. A vegetarian for seven years, and vegan for nearly three, Sharon has a bit of an obsession for plant-based food. When she's not hanging out in the bulk aisle of her local food co-op, Sharon is at home, trying to grow hydroponic basil, playing with her white fluffy cat, or annoying her neighbors by singing showtunes.
12 Responses to Looking Closer at Food: Extreme Overpackaging
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Uhhhhh!
Sooo true! I’m doing a project on overly packaged food!!! Great help! Why would anyone individually wrap EGGS???? I mean seriously! Don’t go to turkey where you can buy a plastic box filled with individually packed “Home made” cup cakes!!!!! Sheesh!