Customer raises concerns after inspecting produce purchased from major grocery chain: 'Should be illegal everywhere'

A shopper shared that a package of Sunbelle blackberries uses a raised bottom and extra plastic to appear fuller than it is.

What's happening?

A Reddit user shared a video with the r/mildlyinfuriating community showing "this packaging that is designed to look fuller than it is."

The clip reveals a Sunbelle blackberry clamshell with a deceptive structure that creates the illusion of more fruit inside.

this packaging that is designed to look fuller than it is
byu/Spiritual_Body3577 inmildlyinfuriating

(Click here to view the video if the embed does not appear.)

Fellow Redditors expressed their disappointment. 

"Should be illegal everywhere," one user wrote. "But I keep seeing things like this and I think 'somebody should do something'. Then I keep scrolling."

Another commenter pointed to a broader double standard, writing, "companies keep adding more plastic to packaging while the state (virginia) wants me to pay a nickel per plastic bag. i carry my own reusable bags...but the point remains that any real attempt to reduce plastics needs to focus first on the manufacturers. not the consumers."

Why is this packaging concerning?

This type of misleading design, known as "slack fill," leaves shoppers feeling cheated at checkout. You pay for what looks like a full container of berries, only to learn you received less fruit than you expected. The extra plastic means more material to deal with at home.

About 40% of global plastic waste was once packaging.A survey found that 37% of North American consumers have avoided products over unsustainable packaging concerns. Onlyabout 5% of plastic gets recycled into new products, meaning most of that excess packaging ends up in landfills.

Is Sun Belle doing anything about this?

Sun Belle, the Chicago-based berry distributor behind the Sunbelle brand, has made some sustainability commitments. The company says it has cut down on plastic use through heat-seal packaging and installed a solar array at its Maryland facility.

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Sun Belle is part of Frutura, a California-based fruit company. The company has mentioned working toward "attractive and innovative" packaging, though commitments to reduce deceptive container designs are unclear.

This particular container design may not be standard company practice, and berry packaging often differs by region.

What can be done about deceptive packaging?

Several states are taking action through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which move the cost of managing packaging waste from taxpayers to the companies that create it. 

Several states, including California and Oregon, have now enacted packaging EPR laws. California's law requires producers to reduce plastic packaging by 25% by 2032.

At the federal level, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act prohibits "nonfunctional-slack-fill."

As a shopper, choose berries sold in right-sized containers or buy from farmers' markets where produce comes without packaging. Some grocery stores offer loose berries you can place in reusable containers. Leaving feedback on social media puts pressure on brands to change their practices.

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