(Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) announced today the latest efforts by the fresh fruits and vegetable industry in taking a proactive approach to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Canadian food supply. Recognizing increasing concern regarding the environmental impact of PLU stickers, CPMA’s Plastic Packaging Working Group released a guidance document for the industry entitled Rational and Guidance for Migrating to Certified Industrial Compostable PLU Stickers.
PLU stickers are the small stickers on fresh fruits and vegetables used globally to ensure that consumers pay the correct price for produce and accuracy in produce identification. “It is crucial now more than ever to support food security by ensuring that consumers can choose the amount of fresh produce they want and be charged the correct amount for it,” stated Ron Lemaire, CPMA President. “ PLU stickers enable the sale of bulk produce and reduce the need to package some fruits and vegetables ensuring efficiency within the supply chain.”
CPMA formed the Plastic Packaging Working Group in 2019 to proactively determine guidance for industry in their sustainability efforts relative to produce packaging. The newly published guidance is based on significant input from industry and from the Compost Council of Canada to ensure an efficacious path to mitigating the impact of PLU stickers on Canada’s industrial composting industry while meeting industry’s sustainability goals. It also builds on the substantive guidance that the Working Group has already released to assist the industry.
“The fresh produce industry has a long history of stewardship and sustainability efforts to ensure the industry can continue to feed the world while contributing positively to the planet and people everywhere. The recent efforts to support the industry’s journey to a more compostable PLU sticker is just one example of the many initiatives it has undertaken,” noted Mario Masellis, CPMA Chair.
The produce industry recognizes its role in ensuring sustainable packaging, including PLU stickers. It is constantly evolving by reducing packaging and changing materials used. While doing so, the critical importance of not negatively impacting food waste, food safety or food affordability is a constant consideration.
“The CPMA and its members’ commitment to transition to certified compostable produce stickers is a very great game-changer for the organics recycling industry,” said Susan Antler, Executive Director, The Compost Council of Canada. “To have another industry recognize its impacts on our ability to effectively process organic residuals, transforming them to all-important compost which is being returned to our soils, is outstanding. We value our work together with CPMA and members to get to this important decision and look forward to supporting them in this important transition.”
About the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA)
Based in Ottawa, Ontario, CPMA is a not-for-profit organization that represents a diverse membership made up of every segment of the produce industry supply chain who are responsible for 90% of the fresh fruit and vegetable sales in Canada. CPMA is fortunate to represent a sector that is both a significant economic driver for communities and that also improves the health and productivity of Canadians.
