AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Whole Foods, Whole Packaging DATE: 1/28/2009 02:01:00 PM ----- BODY:
I went to the store the other day to buy mesclun for my Thai Chicken Salad. Much to my displeasure, Whole Foods/Prospect Street has done away with the bulk bins of lettuce. Instead they only sell prepackaged, pre-cut, prewashed lettuce. The smallest package was 6 ounces.
Worse yet, the lettuce was bagged and then packaged in a second plastic container.

Ironically, it also says on the outer plastic container:

Locally Packaged for Maximum Freshness
If it were packaged locally, wouldn't we need less plastic. And considering the flimsy bag I would have purchased bulk lettuce in versus the industrial strength packaging that it now used, it was probably three of four times as much packaging. I’m not sure which irritated me more – being forced to buy more lettuce or more packaging than was needed or necessary.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Heather DATE:1/28/2009 05:57:00 PM i hate the ridiculous amount of packaging with some products. like putting hot sauce in a cardboard box, or this ridiculous lettuce packaging. so annoying :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Ellie from Kitchen Caravan DATE:1/28/2009 06:59:00 PM Argh! Overly packaged items make my blood boil. I completely empathize with you. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:1/29/2009 02:17:00 AM That is a lot of plastic for lettuce. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:1/29/2009 08:45:00 AM This is a rant I can get behind. And, sadly, it doesn't even keep the lettuce from getting soggy, so on all counts, a total waste. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Karen DATE:3/01/2009 08:28:00 PM I'm with you on not loving the excessive packaging, too. But, you those plastic containers make really great seed starting boxes: poke a few holes in the bottom, fill 'em with seed starting mix, and add your seeds. (I like to start tomato seeds in containers that formerly held tomatoes, greens in containers that formerly held lettuce, etc.; gives it a certain circle-of-life feeling). Keep the plastic lid on top until the seeds sprout, then use the lid as a tray to catch drips when you water the seedlings. When the plants are big enough, I move them to peat pots, or used, washed-out yogurt containers or coffee cups (again, with holes poked in the bottom) and keep 'em under the grow lights until it's time to start hardening off the plants...the used seed starting mixed goes onto the compost pile, and the rinsed-out containers go into the recycling.

(I've been meaning to write a blog post about this, maybe this will motivate me to do it!) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Julia DATE:3/02/2009 06:58:00 AM Karen -- that's a great idea! Thanks for sharing. ----- --------