Plastic cucumber

How can you recognize an average cucumber from a biological cucumber in Albert Heijn?

Both are individually conditioned in plastic but the normal cucumber has a transparent plastic packaging whereas the "ecological" one has a green one.

Tonight I had a deep need of salad so, as there was no fresh dumpsterdived products in the house, I went to Albert Heijn.

When looking for vegetables, I was thinking on what wrote Robino in the website few days ago about plastic waste. And I realized that most of the veggies are individually conditioned in plastic. This is extremely scary, specially since I remember that, not so long time ago, let's say 15 years ago when I was a kid it was not the case.

Comments

guaka's picture

I'm sure they calculated it

I'm sure they calculated it and this way they sell more, for one reason or the other. I guess ideally you don't buy at Albert Heijn, but well, when you're in Amsterdam you still do.

Wrapping in plastic could theoretically be more ecological - if they have to throw out fewer cucumbers. Which would also mean less oil used on transporting the waste.

Caroline_Tupelo's picture

Yeah, it sucks... this is

Yeah, it sucks... this is something that's not even really true in the US! (though sometimes yes, especially potatoes) Why package something that comes in its own package already?

narnua's picture

Primitive North

Same here, Albert Heijn and its plastic wrappings were definitely a shock after Finland. Most fruits and veggies there in most supermarkets come unpackaged - and you need to weigh them yourself and pay per kilo. I somehow remember domestic cucumbers as an exception, wrapped up in sealed plastic.

I usually try to avoid anything bundled together and packed in plastic, first because I feel alienated by the plastic and secondly prefer to make my own selection of veggies and decide exactly how much I need each time.

What I also find funny and rather sad are the pre-washed, plastic-packed salads etc, first time I stumbled across them 7 years ago living in Lyon. How lazy can you be? :D

amylin's picture

i relate, unfortunately

The first thing I noticed when I came back to Amsterdam from Morocco, the past time, was that everything at Albert Heijn is covered in plastic. That severely disturbed me. I don't want to live in a plastic world. Thank goodness Turkey is not yet part of the EU; I fear it would change the politics of food here drastically.... and I love Turkish cuisine ;)