On Wednesday the 5th of June, the European Packaging Forum took place for the first time at the Nikko Hotel in Dusseldorf. Organized by AMI and Fruchthandel Magazin, the event attracted over 200 German and European visitors from all sectors of the food sector.
Many had the hope that there would be significant inspirations and solutions to the packaging problem at the forum, but was that the case?
Master plan
"No one had the master plan, but you really could not expect that, so it was great to talk about the possibilities and learn more about the problem itself and see what the different ideas are. There is still a lot to do in Germany," commented one of the visitors.
One thing is agreed: Without packaging, the industry will not work either. And: The fruit and vegetable industry is far from the only culprit.
Communicating packaging better
There was a lot to be learned at this congress: about packaging laws, recycling cycles, no-package alternatives and new forms of packaging. In the end, there was a discussion between experts: It was a socio-political movement in progress, they agreed. One has to communicate the advantages of packaging better - and reduce packaging to the bare minimum.
We hope to continue our lively discussion in order to keep the topic alive and to enable research. Until there is a better solution, we hope for a change in shopping behavior among consumers, who should recognize that plastic per se is not the culprit.
Ultimately, the motto is to keep the consumer well informed about the packaging of fruit and vegetables - until there is a solution. For some, this is still in the stars, others expect to see it very soon.
Detailed reports and a photo report will follow in the coming days.