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Plastic Packaging for Fruit and Vegetables: No-go or Necessary?

Apples, grapes and tomatoes often come in plastic wrap or plastic trays. Huge mountains of plastic are the result. Should we only buy unpackaged fruit and vegetables, or does the plastic wrap in the supermarket sometimes make sense?

Whether it’s apples in a plastic bag or a three-pack of peppers in a plastic jacket. Many types of fruit and vegetables are packed in plastic – including large mountains of rubbish.

Especially if it is disposed of incorrectly, plastic waste damages our environment and pollutes the oceans. One area where a lot of plastic can be saved is food packaging – especially fruit and vegetables.

Plastic waste in private households has increased significantly since the beginning of the corona pandemic. Since March, there has been around ten percent more packaging waste, as the recycling company “Der Grüne Punkt” reported to ZDF. Although commercial waste fell in the same period, more waste was produced overall. Time to reduce plastic waste as soon as possible.

First rule: reduce plastic waste in food packaging

When you buy fruit and vegetables, you often have a choice between individual, unpackaged goods and bulk packs in plastic wrap or trays. Here the choice seems clear: You can buy fresh fruit and vegetables individually and thus avoid plastic packaging, which immediately becomes plastic waste after consumption. Reusable reusable nets are suitable for transport. Because the top priority in waste management is waste avoidance.

Where you have the choice between unpackaged fruit and vegetables and goods with plastic packaging, you should therefore choose the plastic-free variant – even during the corona pandemic you can shop without packaging without hesitation.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin explains that there are no proven cases in which people have contracted the corona virus through contaminated food. Many people continue to reach for unpackaged apples, tomatoes and cucumbers. The trading company REWE, for example, did not notice any changes in buying behavior among its customers during the Corona crisis.

Sometimes packaging makes sense

Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. For some types of fruit and vegetables, packaging may be necessary because the goods would otherwise spoil quickly. Take lettuce, for example: without protective packaging, lettuce spoils quickly in the supermarket and most consumers no longer buy wilted lettuce. In such cases, packaging can prevent unnecessary food waste.

In a regional test, REWE refrained from packaging organic fruit and vegetables for six months and came to the conclusion that the company could save three tons of plastic a year nationwide with unpackaged organic iceberg lettuce. However, due to the lack of a plastic protective cover, an estimated 18.5 tons of organic iceberg lettuce would spoil every year, making them unsellable.

REWE came to similar conclusions with other lettuce, organic broccoli and organic berries. Broccoli, for example, blooms faster without packaging and loses its freshness. Berries are very delicate and also need protective packaging. Packaging is therefore not bad per se: it can protect the fruit and vegetables and keep them fresh for longer. Elaborate plastic packaging is not necessary.

But: If packaging, then as environmentally friendly as possible

Even though certain fruits and vegetables need protection to keep them fresh for longer, multi-wrapped plastic packaging remains harmful to the environment. An interim solution is therefore optimized packaging.

Paper packaging or cardboard packaging is usually an improvement over the plastic cover. Customers often simply want to bundle their fruit and vegetables and therefore choose the grapes or cherry tomatoes in the plastic tray. Cardboard boxes are usually sufficient here – the plastic coating is usually not necessary. Nets, such as those used for onions and potatoes, are also a good alternative.

Packaging solutions at REWE

REWE has drawn conclusions from its unpackaged test: with immediate effect, the supermarket chain will dispense with or optimize packaging for organic fruit and vegetables. As a result, REWE saves 210 tons of plastic and 80 tons of paper every year. Where it is not possible to dispense with the packaging, the packaging is optimized.

PENNY is also permanently converting its organic fruit and vegetable items – the Naturgut Bio-Helden – to plastic-free packaging or unpacking it wherever possible. As alternatives, more environmentally friendly cardboard and paper packaging, cellulose nets or bands and stickers are used – the cucumber, for example, remains completely unpackaged. This can save up to 50 tons of plastic annually in the long term.

All in all, the REWE Group has already made more than 2,000 own-brand packagings more environmentally friendly – true to the motto: avoid, reduce, improve. As a result, REWE and PENNY alone use around 8,000 tonnes less plastic each year.

In order to achieve this amount of savings, REWE and PENNY are reducing the film thickness of the packaging and are often switching from film packaging to adhesive tape rolls or adhesive labels. Customers can also buy a reusable net and carry the fruit and vegetables home in it. Grass paper or FSC-certified paper is used for fruit boxes.

REWE also transfers the findings from the unpackaged test to the conventional range. Recently, for example, ripened avocados and mangoes are no longer packed in trays and optimized packaging is used for berries.

Conclusion: It is mainly up to us as buyers: With our purchase, we determine whether supermarkets will use more or less (plastic) packaging for fruit and vegetables in the future. And also when a food is considered unsellable – if a head of lettuce has a wilted leaf or an organic apple has a small dent, you can still buy and eat it with a clear conscience. If we deliberately choose imperfect pears, carrots or potatoes more often, we reduce food waste and contribute to less food ending up in the bin.

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Cooking Tips

Peel Sweet Potatoes: is it Necessary?

Peeling sweet potatoes is not necessary in most cases. In this guide, we explain why unpeeled sweet potatoes are even healthier.

Even if the name suggests otherwise, sweet potatoes are not related to ordinary potatoes: They taste different, look different, belong to a different plant family and can almost always be eaten with their skins – unlike regular potatoes, which contain toxins such as glycoalkaloids can stick in the shell.

By not peeling your sweet potatoes, you not only save time and avoid food waste. You are also doing something good for your health. We’ll tell you why unpeeled sweet potatoes are healthier.

Sweet potatoes: Even healthier without peeling

The sweet potato is full of valuable nutritional values: the roots are rich in fiber, minerals such as potassium and magnesium, vitamin A and vitamin C and are also a good source of vegetable protein

You should therefore avoid peeling sweet potatoes for the following reasons:
In and directly under the skin there are many important nutrients of the healthy root. For example, the peel is particularly rich in fiber and vitamins
In addition, the skin of the sweet potato also contains phenolic acid, a secondary plant substance. Phenolic acid has an antioxidant effect and thus protects against free radicals.
According to a 2016 study, the peel even contains substances that can prevent cancer.
Especially when you cook sweet potatoes, the skin also protects the nutrients inside the root.
Especially with sweet potato fries or wedges from the oven, the skin forms a crust that not only looks pretty, but also tastes delicious.
You can also leave the skin on when grilling sweet potatoes.
Not peeling saves you another step and therefore time.
In addition, it is also more sustainable not to peel sweet potatoes: by using the whole root, you avoid unnecessary waste.

Don’t peel sweet potatoes: You should pay attention to this

If you want to eat sweet potatoes with skin, you should only pay attention to the following points:
Whenever possible, buy organic sweet potatoes. This is not only good for the environment, but also guarantees you healthy vegetables without pesticide residues. Pesticides can otherwise possibly be deposited on the shell.
Wash the roots thoroughly before processing them: it is best to clean them under water with a vegetable brush. For a particularly thorough cleaning, you can also use baking soda
Cut off about ½ an inch from both ends of the sweet potatoes. The ends often taste bitter.
If the sweet potato has already formed sprouts, you should cut them off before eating.

Peel sweet potatoes: This is the best way

Depending on your taste, it can sometimes still make sense to peel the sweet potatoes – for example if you want to mash them without any pieces. In this case you have two options:
Either you peel the root vegetables in the classic way with a vegetable peeler, as you would with other vegetables. Of course you can also use a sharp knife – but then you should be particularly careful to only cut away the peel and not even more from the healthy root.
Or you can boil the sweet potatoes whole first, including the skin, and then remove them. Once cooked, sweet potatoes are particularly easy to peel. Most of the time you can just pull the shell off. Another advantage of the method: the shell protects the nutrients during cooking.
Either way, don’t throw away the bowl. You can use them in vegetable broth or soups. Alternatively, you can feed them to animals like horses or rabbits, or at least compost them.

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Cooking Tips

Peel Hokkaido Pumpkin: Necessary or Superfluous?

The Hokkaido pumpkin is one of the most popular pumpkin varieties. Not only is it healthy and tasty, it is also versatile and easy to prepare, as in most cases it does not need to be peeled.

Spherical, rather small to medium-sized and bright orange: This is what the Hokkaido pumpkin looks like. Its aroma is slightly nutty, somewhat sweet and reminiscent of chestnuts, its flesh is juicy, buttery and low in fibers. The Hokkaido pumpkin is not only healthy (it offers a lot of vitamin A and potassium, for example), but also versatile: Whether as a soup, fried, grilled, baked, pureed or finely grated raw in salads – the Hokkaido pumpkin can do everything make and always tastes good.

Many amateur cooks initially shy away from pumpkins because they want to avoid the time-consuming peeling process. But what about this pumpkin – does Hokkaido have to be peeled?

Peel Hokkaido pumpkin: necessary or superfluous?

With some types of pumpkin, you really can’t avoid peeling: their skin is so hard and thick that it is difficult to digest and could lead to stomach upset. These varieties include, for example, snake gourds. With many other pumpkins, it is purely a matter of taste whether the skin stays on or not.

The Hokkaido pumpkin, which is not considered particularly easy to prepare for nothing, does not have to be peeled:
It has a very thin and easily digestible skin, which can also be eaten raw.
With most cooking and cooking methods, the peel also becomes so soft that it does not interfere with chewing.
Exceptions could be:
Potato cakes/pancakes: Because potato pancakes are only in the pan for a relatively short time, the skin may not soften completely.
Pureed soups: If you only prefer your soups to be very finely pureed, you can peel the Hokkaido pumpkin beforehand. Because depending on which kitchen appliance you use for pureeing, it is possible that small pieces of peel can still be found here and there in the soup.
The skin also gives dishes a more intense pumpkin flavor. And since most of the vitamins are located directly under the skin of many fruits (the Hokkaido belongs to the berry family), you also get a nutrient plus with the skin.

Conclusion: In most cases you do not need to peel the Hokkaido pumpkin. It’s the perfect type of pumpkin if you like it quick and easy to prepare. But you should pay attention to one thing:
It is best to buy organic Hokkaido pumpkins. In this way you avoid that there are pesticide residues on the shell, which are used in conventional agriculture and are suspected of being harmful to health. Pesticides are also a burden on the environment, the animals and the people who work with them. No pesticides are used for organic pumpkins. However, you should wash the squash well before preparing it to remove any impurities.

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Cooking Tips

Freeze Kale: is it Even Necessary?

Freezing kale is a good idea when there is a large supply in winter. But does the local superfood really belong in the freezer?

Why you should prefer fresh kale

When you freeze kale, its consistency and texture change: the water contained in its cells crystallizes in the freezer. Over time, larger ice crystals form that damage the cell structure of the kale. Frozen kale then loses its crispness. This may not matter so much with braised kale, but it makes frozen kale unsuitable for salads or pan-fried dishes.

In addition, your freezer consumes a lot of electricity. Now it doesn’t make a significant difference in energy consumption whether you freeze an additional pack of kale or not. However, if you generally freeze less food, you can switch to a smaller freezer for the next purchase or maybe even get by without it. If you switch to a more energy-efficient device, it usually pays for itself after one to two years.

If you are faced with the choice between fresh and frozen kale in the supermarket, it is best to choose the fresh kale. Only ever buy as many fresh vegetables as you will use. This way you avoid having to throw away leftovers. In addition, fresh kale usually tastes better than the frozen version.

How to properly freeze kale

Maybe you grow kale yourself or have large amounts of it at home for other reasons. Then it is definitely better to freeze the kale than to let it spoil. Follow these instructions when freezing fresh kale:
Wash the kale thoroughly to remove any dirt or sand residue.
Remove the kale leaves from the main stalk.
Blanch the kale leaves in heavily salted and boiling water for 2 minutes.
Quickly cool the kale in an ice water bath. This will stop the cooking process and keep the green color.
Drain the kale well and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Pack the kale in a freezer bag or mason jar and freeze it in your freezer.
It’s extremely important that you don’t freeze the kale without first blanching it. If you blanch vegetables, you kill vitamin-splitting enzymes and spoilage germs. This way, the kale will last longer in your freezer and most of the vitamins will be preserved.

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