In recent years, awareness of the harm that plastic pollution causes to our planet has

increased. Many campaigns to eliminate single-use plastics from our daily lives have
been inspired by it. This also applies to food packing, with a Waitrose supermarket in
Oxford recently starting a trial of package-free shopping. According to Hunch (2016),
Many people complain about the excessive packaging that supermarkets use,
especially for fruit and vegetables since the majority of them already come with natural
protection.

However, in the study of Kintaru (2017), supermarkets utilize a lot of packaging primarily
to protect food and reduce waste, especially with fresh food. When it comes to
preserving the environment and precious resources, eliminating plastic totally from our
food supply might not be the wisest course of action.

Food supply chains are intricate webs with many moving elements. 12 million farms in
Europe alone produce agricultural goods that are processed by some 300,000 food and
beverage businesses. 500 million people are subsequently served by 2.8 million food
services and shops, who then distribute these. Usually, food is transported from the
fields where it is grown to a processing facility for storage. After that, it is kept until it is
required. Once it has been packaged, shipped, and distributed to stores for marketing
purposes, it can then be purchased and consumed. Depending on where it is grown and
how long it is stored in a person's refrigerator or pantry, this might take a variety of
times. (Mundar, 2017)

The use of plastic packaging in the food supply chain helps ensure the safe
transportation of food over large distances and reduces food waste by preserving food
for a longer period of time. According to a 2016 analysis of research on the topic, the
EU wastes 88 million tons of food annually, or 173 kg per person and 20% of all food
produced. For both food security and environmental conservation, reducing this waste is
essential.
The majority of food waste—more than 50%—occurs in homes, while over 20% is lost
during processing. To lower this high amount of waste in both areas, plastic packaging
might be a necessary evil. According to Bernard (2016), when considering how useful
plastic packaging is in the food supply chain, since it has the capacity to preserve food
and reduce its wastage, a variety of aspects must be taken into consideration. For
instance, selling grapes in plastic bags or trays has decreased in-store grape wastage
by 20% and using just 1.5g of plastic film to wrap a cucumber can increase its shelf life
from three days to fourteen.

Since a lot of food is air freighted, extending its shelf life offers significant environmental
advantages. It reduces waste and protects all necessary resources from farm to shelf.
According to recent projections from Zero Waste Scotland, the carbon footprint of food
waste may exceed that of plastic. Particularly, it was discovered that the 456,000 tonnes
of food waste created by Scottish households contributed to over 1.9 million tonnes of
CO2, which was three times more than the 224,000 tonnes of plastic garbage produced.
(Gurad, 2018)
Food quality and safety are maintained through plastic packaging. Food that is properly
transported and consumed without the need of single-use plastic packaging often
garners attention since it is naturally wrapped in its own skin. However, the study of
Harnaaz (2015) reveal that these goods only seem to be sustainable in areas with short
food supply chains. Plastic can help keep food from going to waste when it is delivered
from a distance, as is the case with a lot of food. Packaging made of plastic is also
lighter and more flexible than packaging made of glass or card. This lowers the price of
transportation and the associated carbon emissions.
It is not as sustainable to just get rid of plastic from food packaging. There are many
situations in which plastic packaging might help reduce waste. However, food vendors
must consider ways to use less plastic and to recycle it whenever possible. Short food
supply chains must be constructed since they require fewer intermediaries between the
places where the food is grown and where it is purchased and consumed, reducing the
amount of plastic that is required. It can include adopting more seasonal eating habits.
In ways that can also help minimize food packaging and waste, farmers' markets,
community-based producers, and basket delivery services help link consumers to where
their food is produced. (Lebosada, 2018)

How it can be economically scaled up is the difficulty in this situation. The majority of
retailers will have financial considerations that affect how they use plastic. As mentioned
by Thanger (2018), it is frequently utilized for marketing purposes and to encourage
customers to make additional purchases (think: multipacks), which can result in waste.
Creating a more circular economic model where plastic is reused and recycled much
more is another option. Both economically and environmentally, this makes sense.

Work is also being done on novel, bio-based packaging that could be both
biodegradable and capable of serving the same functions as conventional plastic in
terms of safeguarding food and reducing food waste. But there are still many
uncertainties regarding the long-term viability of bio-based plastics, particularly given
the enormous quantities of energy required to manufacture them. Big merchants will
continue to use plastic to keep food from spoiling until a sustainable packaging
alternative is created. Plastic is a very useful substance in and of itself. Even while we
sometimes need to utilize it more carefully and sparingly, we shouldn't completely do
away with it. (Bridggette, 2019)
PROJECT VACSINEATION SUBSIDY
Amount requested: PHP 5,000

ALLOCATION:

Honorarium for the casts:

Main characters- PHP 2,000
B’laan performers- PHP 1,000
Props/costumes/other materials needed- PHP 2,000

SSS Subsidy- PHP 5,000

ALLOCATION:
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Food allowance- PHP 2,000

Help needed:
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