Over half of UK supermarket food and drink is packaged in unnecessary plastic

Over half of food and drink is packaged in unnecessary, a new study has found.

The analysis revealed 51% of come packaged in that can safely be replaced with alternatives.

This mountain of plastics adds up to 29.8 billion avoidable pieces annually across the UK, found The Material Change Index, which was commissioned by the FTSE100 sustainable packaging company DS Smith and conducted by Retail Economics.

The Index showed most of that plastic packaging came from processed foods, including ready-meals and meal kits (90% of which are packaged in it); bread, rice and cereals (89%); dairy products (83%); and meat and fish (80%).

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The Material Change Index analysed packaging materials in 25 of the most popular across six European markets: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. The findings showed that the UK is the most reliant on plastic packaging, with 70% of all food and drink items on British shelves containing plastic.

But the research also found 98% of European food manufacturers and retailers have commitments to reduce plastic packaging. Three in five have two years or less left to reach their voluntary targets, but a quarter say they are off track to reach them.

The firms said they are held back by barriers including costs and the fear of consumer reaction to change, with 72% believing shoppers would not want to pay extra for sustainable packaging and 65% think they wouldn’t want to sacrifice convenience for sustainability.

DS Smith is now calling on UK government to phase out unnecessary plastic and create regulation to help businesses pick up the pace on replacing the polymers.

The FTSE100 sustainable packaging company estimates that 84% of unnecessary plastic in the UK can be replaced or significantly reduced by fibre-based alternatives right now, and the company is continuing to invest in finding new solutions.

Miles Roberts, group chief executive at DS Smith, said: “Good progress has been made but there is evidently a great deal more to do. We think Government can and should be more demanding of us all - phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic.

"The opportunity to meet consumer demand for more sustainable packaging is significant and we hope the Government’s forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will find ways to support the use of materials that are more readily recyclable.”