The sale of fruit and vegetables in plastic wrapping will be prohibited in Spain’s supermarkets and grocery stores starting in 2023. From a report: This is one of the measures in a decree being drafted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, according to sources familiar with the initiative. The new regulation also contains measures to encourage the purchase of loose, unpackaged produce and use of non-bottled water. The ban on fruit and vegetable packaging will apply to produce weighing under 1.5 kilograms, following similar legislation in France, where it will go into effect next year. The Spanish executive wants to “fight the overuse of packaging in the most effective way,” said a ministry spokesperson. The same source said that plastic pollution “has exceeded all limits.” Environmental groups in Spain and abroad, including Greenpeace, have been campaigning for years to stop greengrocers and large supermarkets alike from wrapping fresh produce in layers of plastic.
The ministry headed by Teresa Ribera has held meetings with leading business associations and environmental groups to share some of the main guidelines contained in the draft decree, which seeks to incorporate European Union norms to Spain’s legislation. The list of products included in the new regulations will be set by the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency. Those “at risk of deteriorating when sold loose” will be left out of the list, according to available information. Julio Barea of Greenpeace said he agrees with the ban but added that it is important to see “how it will be applied” in the end. Barea feels the government, led by a center-left coalition of the Socialist Party (PSOE) and leftist Unidas Podemos, is not moving fast enough “to radically end the flow of plastic pollution.”
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