Fruit & vegetable supplier embraces sustainable packaging

For more than 60 years, family-owned business GD Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Supplies (GD) has supported local South Australian growers by supplying fruit and vegetables in its Hawthorndene store and wholesaling to the hospitality industry.

In 2018, Trudy and Ben Nankervis, co-owners of GD, began researching alternatives to the plastic they used in their business. It wasn’t easy; in fact, it proved to be a labyrinth of twists and turns on researching alternatives, extensive product testing, storage factors and cost restraints. They discovered that not all compostable or biodegradable plastics are the same and they have varying roles, costs and shelf-life considerations.

Compared to conventional fruit and vegetable stores that unpack and repack the whole shop into cool rooms each day/night, GD’s retail store packs produce into prepacked and costed bags that are displayed in its temperature-controlled refrigeration units.

The method maintains good quality produce and shelf life due to minimal handling, and the savings in labour costs are considerable. Another advantage of this system is the reduction of food waste due to minimal handling and spoilage, thus saving vast amounts of otherwise wasted energy.

Previously the business was using conventional plastic bags and plastic wrap to display its produce. However, some of its customers were concerned about plastic use, which triggered GD to look for a solution.

After much research, GD joined forces with Biogone, to replace its traditional plastic produce bags and plastic wrap with Biogone’s landfill-biodegradable plastic alternatives.

Two customised products were created for GD — the 1 and 2 kg fruit and vegetable bag. They are made from clear material, have holes in the bag so produce can breathe, and are printed with “landfill biodegradable”.

Biogone’s biodegradable plastic is designed to be safe for food packaging film, and is made with an organic additive that is USFDA-compliant for food contact applications.

The organic additive accelerates the rate at which the plastics will biodegrade when in a landfill, allowing naturally occurring microbes in that environment to consume the plastic, resulting in biogas and humus (natural fertiliser).

As it is a biodegradation process, the plastics also don’t fragment into microplastics. The Biogone plastics can also be recycled with other soft plastics (when available).

Image caption: Trudy and Ben Nankervis, co-owners of GD Wholesale. Image: Supplied