Today in Unnecessary Packaging: Individually Plastic Wrapped Bananas by Del Monte

Del Monte, famous for its fruit and family food products, has come out with what is arguably the stupidest and most environmentally unfriendly and unnecessary food item ever: bananas wrapped individually in plastic. Unfortunately, the ‘single finger bananas’ will be coming to a grocery store near you.

Bananas wrapped in peels wrapped in plastic

While anyone with half a brain would be able to tell you bananas already have their own wrapping, a peel provided by nature, Del Monte argues that a new plastic wrap is necessary to increase the banana’s shelf life, which allows the bananas to be sold in school vending machines in place of chocolate bars.

Forgetting the permanency of plastic production

While it’s a great idea to sell fruit in schools, wrapping a fruit that is already wrapped in a protective peel in plastic that is going to sit in a landfill for hundreds of years does not add up.

It is especially the small and unnecessary amounts of plastic, such as a banana wrapper, that we take for granted and rarely consider throwing in the garbage when we are done with it. However, these small pieces of plastic add up, and never break down. They cannot be recycled and, one way or another, will end up in a landfill polluting the planet.

How we can make a difference

First, we need to start making better choices about what kinds of products we buy, and how they are packaged. If you see a plastic wrapped banana in the grocery store, and you want to buy it instead of a traditional banana because it may have a longer shelf life, think about the waste that will result from your decision.

If you need another reminder, follow this link to watch the movie trailer for the environmental documentary Plastic Planet. We already use too much plastic in our lives, and should not think it is acceptable to produce plastic-wrapped bananas, no matter what Del Monte tells us.