Food packaging seems to be getting more and more ridiculous, whether it's a single green onion in a plastic pouch or plastic-wrapped avocados. One Redditor recently proved this theory when they showcased an infuriating find — packages upon packages of two celery stalks wrapped in a styrofoam container.
While the picture originally appeared in the r/StupidFood subreddit, commenters summed up the post perfectly by suggesting other subreddits it could appear in: r/Anticonsumption, r/EgregiousPackaging, and even r/A******Design.
Single-use plastics already seem almost unavoidable in today's grocery stores, and their environmental toll is cause for concern. In 2014, of the 258 million tons of municipal waste generated in the U.S., more than 63% was packaging materials. To further the problem, only 35% was recycled or composted.
Aside from that, we can agree that food packaging was created to make food safer and cleaner, more reliable, and shelf-stable. But a new study from Cambridge University Press suggests that not only is plastic packaging wasteful, but it's also seeping toxins into our food.
Many Redditors were rightfully frustrated with the ridiculous packaging.
"I guess we're rationing now 🤣" one quipped.
"Thought I'd seen it all," another added.
But, maybe surprisingly, others pointed out how the packaging actually appealed to them.
"I get the impulse," one person explained. "I almost never use an entire celery bunch and often wish I could buy stalks individually."
And they bring up a good point. In the U.S. each year, around one-third of all food ends up in the garbage. That's about 42 billion pounds in our homes alone. But that doesn't mean single-use plastic packaging is the answer.
There are many tricks to making food last longer, like bathing berries before storing them or keeping mushrooms in paper bags. Redditors were quick to point out other options for food you're afraid of wasting.
"I buy a whole bunch, dice it up, and freeze it in 1-stalk portions. It goes mushy when you thaw it, but it's fine if you're frying it up for mirepoix," one person explained.
"It's celery, dice it up and add it to rice or whatever ffs, or when it gets wilty pop it in the freezer for the next time you make stock, then compost it," another offered up.
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