The Western Growers Association announced a partnership with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to create the Sustainable Produce Packaging Alignment for North America.
SPPA will educate and aid the industry with packaging requirements by both retailers and regulators. WGA President and CEO Dave Puglia acknowledged the necessity of sustainability in packaging despite the effort creating conflict with consumer desire for fresh produce.
It's easy to be "in the know" about agriculture news from coast to coast! Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news. Simply click here.
In April, Agri-Pulse reported on new EU packaging restrictions which U.S ag industrialists said could create problems with transportation and food safety. The move to create a working group follows efforts by Environment and Climate Change Canada to reduce plastic packaging to 25% of total produce packaging by 2026, and down to only 5% by 2028.
SPPA intends to create a recommended guide for stakeholders by December 2025 that would include industry-oriented analysis, tools for U.S. specialty crop packaging and workshops with industry leaders and others to inform the guide.
