Comments on: Store Report: Whole Foods, Berkeley & E-mail Response

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:57:02 +0000

03/23/2011 Update: Stahlbush has come out with a “biodegradable” package. But I did some research and learned that it is in fact made with petroleum-based plastic. Here’s the scoop:

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/stahlbush-biodegradable-frozen-fruits-and-vegetables-bag-its-plastic/

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:27:00 +0000

I know this post was from over a year ago, but I stumbled across it today. Just yesterday while at the grocery store, I purchased a bar of the Sappo Hill Soap because it had no packaging. I take my own grocery and produce bags to the store, so imagine my chagrin when I opened them to discover that the one bar of soap had been wrapped in a plastic bag! Next time I will keep a better eye on the bagger or designate a produce bag for the soap! Thanks for your blog and all your efforts.

By: Gloria

Gloria — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:35:00 +0000

I was soooo dissapointed to discover that Stahlbush' fruit and vegees "natural" kraft paper bags are lined on the inside with a layer of plastic!" as you printed.
I can only pray that this is of a 'safer' plastic/material (is there any?). Please-please-please let it be that this is not really plastic at all.
DO YOU HAVE A WAY THAT I CAN INVESTIGATE THIS?
I am attempting to empower my family and myself against plastic with knowledge about its use and its dangers (hidden though this knowledge may be at times).

I think that it would be a lot better just to always simply purchase things fresh - fresh fuit, fresh vegees, fresh meat, fresh cheese. However, gone are the days of the hen/egg farms down the block, the fresh produce stands around the corner, our own gardens large enough to free us from the plastic-wrapped foods in grocery stores.
I think that I may simply need to move to a warmer climate and grow my own foods.
Thanks!
Gloria

By: Flick

Flick — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 22:26:00 +0000

My wife Deanne and I are trying to rid our lives of plastic also and have found it is a constant in commerce these days. Best advise is buy less stuff altogether and make what you can (the frozen "organic" convenience foods are industrial products and we can't go too wrong expecting very little of them.) Try not to eat out, or at least see if you can bring your own container. Many establishments balk at anything different being done or cite health department rules, but sometimes smaller independent non franchise businesspeople are cooperative on this.
Though I hate plastic on the whole, it is useful for many applications and should be reused as many times as possible. We reuse plastic water bottles for months. I hesitate to recommend this as a long term solution because old plastic, especially if subject to heat and sunlight releases chemicals over time. We are hoping to replace these with the stainless steel drinking bottles but these are expensive and may have to be on the birthday wish lists.(it feels good to give and recieve useful items for gifts, I have gotten and given a number of compact fluorescent bulbs the last few years. Deanne sends personal health products to family members as gifts. this exposes people to less reprehensible products they might not otherwise try , especially if they seem pricey).
We often use recycled glass jars for water although they break sometimes. Always some trade-off I guess (no perfect technologies or methods anywhere in this world, we just have to experiment and make the best choices we can figure.)
We wash plastic and foil wraps and reuse them. Heck we even reuse dental floss 'til it breaks. (a bit weird at first, but if you rinse it how is it any worse than using the same rinsed toothbrush over and over? It hangs on a nail by the sink.) Speaking of washing and reusing, paper coffee filters can be rinsed and used over and over. Some brands will last weeks. If you have a fancy metal screen filter that is a better choice. I guess cutting coffee out altogether is the most sensible option for those who can manage it, due to the lack of locally grown beans and health concerns. This is like most how do we get rid of plastic questions. Ask ourselves if we really need this item at all. If the answer is yes then look for the materials methods and products that the plastic has replaced. Ask an older person what they used to do before.
Generally becoming less of a consumer, eating home grown and home cooked food, and buying bulk go a long way in reducing waste and increasing health. Usually it tastes better too.
When I have to buy a new item swathed in many layers of plastic or the omnipresent indestructable plastic bubble-pack I get upset at the lack of options in the stores. It takes a lot of time to find the unwrapped alternative, if it's to be found anywhere. So thanks for writing to the companies and making your needs known. I tend to call them if I can get a phone number because I am a slow typer, but they probably take written queries more seriously. The more of us that do this the more reason for them to consider changes.
By the way potting soil can often be gotten at garden and landscaping businesses out in the country if you buy a whole pick up load (at least where I live.) Maybe you can share a load with some other folks. Also for people with wells there are water filters that can be flushed and washed periodically rather than throwing out the disposable cartridges. They don't cost that much, pay for themselves in less than a year and are easy to install and flush. Sorry this doesn't solve the drinking water filtration dilemma if your well water isn't so good or you are on town water.
Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing your findings. Flickeruiamb

By: Beth at Coloring The Void

Beth at Coloring The Void — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:43:00 +0000

Uh oh! I haven’t opened them yet. I’ll report back when I find out. Thanks for the warning.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 02:40:00 +0000

I think you’re going to be disappointed in the Stahlbush Farms frozen veggie packaging. I’ve used those products and seem to remember the bags being lined with a thin plastic liner. I could be wrong but that’s what I seem to remember.