Why supermarkets must take lead in fight against plastic packaging – Yorkshire Post letters

From: Graham Lund, Girvan.
How can packaging of crisps be reduced?How can packaging of crisps be reduced?
How can packaging of crisps be reduced?

I RECENTLY went shopping for crisps/snacks and was surprised at the amount on offer. I tend to buy single packs but can be swayed.

Standard packs are about 32g, but check the multiples. Six packs showed a weight of 6x25g, all packed into yet more packaging.

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These larger packs felt very light for their size. I checked the offer price at £1.00, down from £1.79, a substantial saving over the same weight in single packs.

Hang on, though. How long does it take to fill all these crisps into so much packaging? I guess the single packs are filled by a machine then by hand into bigger packs which means extra air in the final offer. When it comes to spuds on shelves, they take up a lot of space for the offer price.

Surely we need just two sizes – 35g and 150g. The larger pack should have a sticky roundel so it can be resealed more than once. We are asked, nay obliged, to save resources, so can we do this more easily? Shops should sell food, not air.

From: Thomas Reed, Harrogate.

I THINK it is time the Government levied a surcharge on supermarkets for plastic use. If they do this, it might discourage their use – and 
force the likes of Morrisons and Asda to speed up the introduction of paper bags. Do others agree?