27th June 2023
Plastic packaging is seen as a plus because it enables food to be harvested and shipped over a longer distance/ timespan than might otherwise be possible. This enables perishable crops such as strawberries, lettuces, cucumbers etc to be grown in southern Spain and sold in supermarkets throughout the UK. But this can further distance us as consumers from the people who grow our food. Currently there is two concerns about farming practices in Spain.
One is the diversion of water from the vulnerable wetland area of Donana, a World Heritage site, to irrigate strawberry crops to the detriment of the wildlife that relies on this unique habitat. (https://phys.org/news/2023-06-world-heritage-wetland-site-threatened.html )
The second is the use of migrant labour on farms in the Almeria and Huelva regions of southern Spain. These are often vulnerable people from North Africa who are effectively exploited as forced labour – https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalcampaigns/agricultural-workers-rights-almeria
Avoiding plastic may have additional benefits for the world.
The Green Tau 