Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 17 August 2019 | The Grocer | 23Sir, New environment secretary
Theresa Villiers is brave to
assert that “we are collectively
calling time on being a
throwaway society”, by citing
new Defra figures that show
a mere 1.1 billion single-use
plastic bags were sold in the
main supermarkets last year
(‘Villiers hails falling plastic
carrier use’, 3 August, p6).
Although still a large
number, Ms Villiers is perhaps
right to celebrate that this
signals a drop of over 90%
of single-use bags since the
introduction of the 5p charge
in October 2015. But it has since
emerged the figures don’t take
into account any increase in
more expensive plastic ‘bag for
life’ alternatives.
The bag for life uses
considerably more plastic in
its manufacture and, with the
recent significant increase in
sales of these bags, it is far from
certain that total sales of plastic
are actually decreasing at all,We need more
than bags for life
to cut plastic use
STEP BACKWARDS?
The bag for life uses considerably more plastic and
it is far from certain total sales of plastic are actually
decreasing – Andy Barnetson, Beyond the BoxReliable aspartame study
● Sir, In his recent letter about
aspartame (10 August, p23),
Robert Peterson correctly
observed ‘it is critical the pub-
lic is provided with reliable
science-based information
regarding the safety and utility
of low-calorie sweeteners’. It is
therefore unfortunate that this
is precisely what the European
Food Safety Authority failed to
provide in its December 2013
assessment of aspartame.
In our recent paper Dr
Dawson and I demonstrated
that EFSA’s treatment was pro-
foundly unreliable because
the benchmarks against which
it judged studies that pro-
vided prima facie evidence of
risks were substantially more
demanding that the bench-
marks against which reassuring
studies were judged.
Erik Millstone, professor
emeritus, University of Sussex
Language problem
● Sir, I was interested to read
Karen Bird’s piece on the rel-
evance of the term ‘biode-
gradable’ (3 August, p22). The
fundamental issue lies with
a lack of common consumer
let alone at the rate suggested.
It is, therefore, unsurprising
shoppers seem unconvinced.
Indeed, a recent independent
study of more than 2,000
shoppers found more than half
(54%) want a total ban on all
plastic bags in supermarkets.
Instead, almost two thirds
(63%) would like supermarkets
to offer free cardboard boxes to
carry their shopping home in.
As Ms Villiers concludes,
“no one wants to see the
devastating impact plastic
waste is having on our precious
wildlife”, but it is only by
encouraging the even greater
adoption of sustainable and
recyclable materials like
corrugated cardboard that Ms
Villiers will truly be able to lay
the groundwork for success.Andy Barnetson, Beyond the Boxyour tweets
Radnor Hills launches direct-
to-consumer online water store
More direct than my tap?
“Functional” water?
#madness
@KatherineHMHartSean Toal made WH Smith MD
Hopefully Sean will ditch
the “would you like any of
this wide range of chocolate
that’s now reduced at the
till” ethos
@markyg198010 charts explaining UK atti-
tudes to breakfast
The Fry Up still the pre-
ferred option – who’d have
thought?
@FarmFrites_UKunderstanding of the meaning
of sustainability-related terms.
Take ‘compostable’ for exam-
ple. Most consumers will have
a bucolic image of tossing their
used packaging on to the com-
post heap with the potato peel-
ings – but the reality is most
compostable packaging needs a
controlled industrial process.
Material producers, convert-
ers, manufacturers and retailersmust come together to create a
simple system, a limited num-
ber of materials and a universal
icon or nomenclature frame-
work that’s easy to understand
and act on.
Andy Capper, co-founder and
creative director, EchoPremium perceptions
● Sir, BBC News recently
reported Waitrose shoppers’ dis-
may on learning the Wollaton
branch is to be replaced by a
Lidl. While it’s easy to make
assumptions, we should chal-
lenge conventional wisdom
over what constitutes premium
or economy shoppers.
A clear trend towards ‘save
and splurge’ consumer behav-
iour has been seen across ver-
tical markets, most notably
travel. Grocery is no different.
The metrics bear this out. We
measured the retail journeys
of 165,000 UK shoppers from
January 2017 and April 2019:
over this period, the shared
proportion of Aldi and Waitrose
customers grew from 1.4%
to a 5.7% high – an increase
of over 300%. Waitrose and
Sainsbury’s shared customer
base dropped by just over 11%.
Conrad Poulson, CEO, HuqWhy the Philadelphia ad
ban will force marketers to
get creative
In the offending ad, men
are the ones forgoing their
offspring in the name of
cream cheese. Wherever you
stand on the debate, it could
change advertising for the
better. We’ve seen numerous
variations on the useless
dad/practical mum theme- in many cases, presented
in a less artful way than
the Philadelphia ad. So at
least we can expect more
imaginative marketing.
Emma Weinbren, 14 August
The poultry sector must
face up to welfare concerns
M&S and Waitrose are
still the only major
supermarkets to have signed
up to the Better Chicken
Commitment. Industry
insiders have long argued
the scheme would add too
much cost to chicken, but
now the sector is facing an
increasingly worsening
image problem. If the sector
is to thrive post-Brexit,
British poultry standards
need to be obviously better
than cheap imports.
Kevin White, 13 AugustGwyneth Paltrow could do
the alkaline water category
more harm than good
Many UK consumers still
don’t understand the
concept of alkaline water
or its purported benefits.
Paltrow is a somewhat
controversial figure to
lead this communication.
Yes, she may have earned
dedicated followers with
her wellness ethos. But she
has also attracted heavy
criticism for allegedly
making pseudoscientific
claims.
Emma Weinbren, 12 Augustbest of the blogs
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