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Food: Packaging

Volume 472: debated on Tuesday 4 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what (a) initiatives and (b) incentives his Department has in place to encourage reductions in the amount of packaging used for food; and if he will make a statement. (188535)

[holding answer 26 February 2008]: The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 oblige companies above a threshold to pay for a certain proportion of the UK obligation to recycle packaging. Different companies in the supply chain from manufacturers to retailers pick up a different sized proportion of the obligation and must pay according to the amount of packaging used. The less packaging they use, the less they will pay in fees. This has, over time, resulted in lightweighting across a range of products. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) continues to work with businesses to help them minimise their packaging. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 (as amended) require packaging volume and weight to be the minimum amount.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidelines his Department issues to (a) supermarkets and (b) food manufacturers on the amount of packaging used for (i) foodstuffs and (ii) confectionery; and if he will make a statement. (188536)

[holding answer 26 February 2008]: Supermarkets and food manufacturers are required under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 (as amended) to ensure that packaging volume and weight constitute the minimum amount that is adequate to maintain necessary levels of safety, hygiene and acceptance for the packed product and for the consumer. Government Guidance Notes explaining these requirements are available to download from the BERR website. Practical help for business to understand its obligations is provided by the Government-funded Envirowise service.