Nature Fresh introduces compostable cucumber wrap

LEAMINGTON– Nature Fresh Farms has bolstered their sustainable initiatives by releasing a new, 100 per cent home compostable wrap for their Long English Cucumbers — a first in the North American market.

An alternative to traditional polyethylene plastic, this film is an environmentally friendly compostable wrap that breaks down in a household compost without leaving behind microplastics. The compostable film will prolong the shelf life of the product and will do so without adding to long-term landfill waste.

Made from a starch-based PLA that is derived from plant-based resources including non-GMO corn starch, it is 100 per cent compostable, breaking down naturally into CO2 and water.

Each cucumber wrap contains 0.00436 lbs of plastic; this translates to the equivalent of 23-million plastic straws saved from landfill for every five million cucumbers wrapped in the compostable film. Cucumbers are packed in shrink wrap to significantly extend their life by minimizing evaporation. Through the compostable film, Nature Fresh Farms has found a packaging solution that can maintain the shelf life of the cucumber, while meeting the demands of more sustainable packaging alternatives.

“The launch of the compostable wrap is a demonstration of our commitment to our consumers wants of reducing plastic usage,” said Matt Quiring, Director of Sales for Nature Fresh Farms. “We are excited to be first to market with this initiative in North America and are hopeful this will start a trend with the industry while we continue to lead in sustainable packaging solutions.”

In addition, the wrap includes a PLU pre-printed on the film in compostable ink. This feature allows the entire wrap to be thrown in with backyard compost or in landfills without harming the environment. PLU stickers are commonly made of vinyl and plastic. This new wrap eliminates the need for the additional application.