For the U.S., Canada is the No. 1 export market for fresh fruits and vegetables, representing roughly half of all U.S. global exports. When significant regulatory changes happen there, the whole U.S. produce industry must pay attention.
In August 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the government agency responsible for environmental policy, published a pre-proposal that aims to regulate packaging in Canadian grocery stores. The proposal requires that 75% of all fresh produce sold in Canada must be sold either in bulk or in nonplastic packaging by 2026, with an increase to 95% by 2028.
Despite the best and ongoing efforts of the fresh produce industry to address climate concerns, this proposal is not based in any kind of food safety or business reality. This plastic ban should send shockwaves through the produce industry in the U.S. and consumers in Canada.
Western Growers is urging ECCC to instead promote packaging with less plastic as well as pushing for the plastic that is used to be recyclable. This is the approach that is currently used by the ECCC with other consumer goods available in the grocery store; it is unfathomable that a different standard should exist on a commodity directly linked to the well-being of Canadian families.
Since publication of the proposal, Western Growers and a small cohort of Canadian and U.S. allies have been proactively outlining its flaws to ECCC. First, while there are certainly some crops that can be sold in bulk — melons for example — there are many crops that require packaging. It’s hard to imagine cherries being sold in a large cardboard box.
Second, for many crops, plastic in some form is a critical element to ensure freshness, quality and food safety. While the produce industry is a leader in innovating sustainable packaging and now uses more recycled and recyclable content than ever before, the reality is that alternatives are not yet at a place where the use of plastic can be outright banned. A fiber clamshell may work when shipping delicate berries a short distance, but fiber is not robust enough to ship a product over thousands of miles.
Third, the produce sector is intensely dedicated to food safety and freshness, so plastics’ unparalleled ability to stem food spoilage, waste and contamination is paramount. Some of the plastic packaging currently in use is developed to optimize freshness as it allows crops to “breathe” at prescribed rates, maintaining the desired quality for the consumer until it reaches dinner tables or lunchboxes.
If plastics are eliminated, the resulting increase in spoilage and food waste would have a negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions; this creates a conundrum for the ECCC, which seeks to promote their reduction.
Fourth, it sets the stage for a potentially catastrophic situation for Canadian consumers. Canada imports most of their fruits and vegetables, with the U.S. comprising half of their total supply.
The official government Food Guide wisely advises Canadians to fill half their plate with produce to maintain good health. How will that be possible when a plastic ban causes outright shortages in the produce aisle? Canadians already face significant food inflation at the grocery store; with a ban, prices will increase even more as U.S. growers are forced to exit the Canadian market.
The produce industry is at the forefront of reducing the environmental footprint of fresh produce packaging by improving compostable fiber, developing biofilms and using thinner plastic films, but we’re not at the place yet where an outright ban will do anything but harm consumers.
The decisions ECCC makes in the coming weeks could have profound impacts on the accessibility of fresh produce for Canadian shoppers and the economic viability of U.S. growers if a technical barrier to trade is put in place. We are hopeful that the ECCC balances its environmental mission with the need to keep fresh produce available to all Canadians.
Dave Puglia is president and CEO of Western Growers.