Frozen Entrees: A bigger plastic problem than I knew

For weeks, I've been choosing frozen entrees in pressboard trays (Pressware®) over those in plastic trays, thinking that the only plastic waste was the film overwrap. Now, I find out that the cardboard tray itself is coated with a layer of PET plastic. I found this out through a very nice e-mail exchange and telephone interview with Stephen Moore, CEO of Helen's Foods.

Before I continue with the plastic talk, I do want to say that Helen's Kitchen farfalle & basil pesto with tofu steaks is hands down the best tasting frozen meal I have ever eaten. It's certified organic, GMO-free, vegetarian, and just plain delicious. It would take me a day to prepare something this good from scratch. So it's with a heavy heart that I continue my report on the product's plastic content.

According to Moore, and from research I've done online, there is basically no way these days to create a frozen entree without plastic if it must be cooked. Frozen entree containers must be able to contain liquids, including oils, and withstand high heat in both the microwave and the oven. (Yes, there are still people who choose to cook frozen dinners in the oven rather than the microwave.) Biodegradable plastic, then, is not an option because by its nature, it degrades with heat. That's kind of the point.

Because of the plastic coating in the pressboard trays, they are not recyclable or compostable. In an effort to be more "environmentally friendly," Helen's Foods is switching to CPET plastic trays (#1), which theoretically are recyclable. But theoretically recyclable and actually recyclable are not necessarily the same thing.

Here in the Bay Area, I can't find any place to recycle #1 black plastic trays. Oakland, where I live, only collects narrow-necked bottles. In addition to bottles, San Francisco recycles containers #2, #4, & #5. Daly City, where I work, collects all containers #1 - #7; all, that is, except black plastic! So for me, these containers are non-recyclable plastic.

And whether or not you live in an area that recycles #1 black plastic containers, the fact remains that these containers are made from virgin petroleum, a non-renewable and highly polluting (as well as political) natural resource. And there doesn't seem to be any way around it. If you want the convenience of packaged frozen entrees, you have to take the plastic with it. Period.

So, I've done my duty. I've given you the facts. The delicious as well as the dismal. Now it's up to each of us to decide what we will buy.
 

 

Frozen Foods Summary

Most frozen foods contain some plastic. Of course, the ideal way to reduce plastic waste would be to avoid these "convenience" foods altogether. But that's not always practical. So, here is an ongoing list of the amounts of plastic hidden inside packages of frozen foods.

Feel free to e-mail me info to add to the list, so I don't always have to find out the hard way. Click the Frozen Foods link on the sidebar to return here in the future.

Last update: 08/12/2007

Frozen Entrees:

Brand: Amy's Kitchen
Tray: Cardboard tray with inside plastic coating
Plastic Film: Overwrap surrounds the entire tray

Brand: Helen's Kitchen
Tray: Cardboard tray with inside plastic coating
Plastic Film: Across the top only.

Brand: Michael Angelo's Italian Natural Cuisine
Tray: #1 Plastic
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Brand: Organic Bistro
Tray: Cardboard tray with inside plastic coating
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Brand: Safeway's Eating Right
Tray: #1 Plastic
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Brand: Seeds of Change
Tray: Cardboard tray with inside plastic coating
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Brand: Stouffer's Lean Cuisine
Tray: #1 Plastic
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Brand: Whole Kitchen (Whole Foods brand of frozen entrees)
Tray: #1 Plastic
Plastic Film: Across the top only

Misc frozen foods

Brand: Gardenburger (veggie burgers)
Plastic-wrapped 2-packs of burgers inside the box

Brand: Helen's Kitchen (marinated tofu steaks)
Plastic 3 mil bag inside the box

Vegetables:

Brand: Cascadian Farms Organic
The boxed vegetables contain a "microwaveable flavor seal pouch" inside. I assume this means plastic.

Brand: Stahlbush Island Farms
Do not be fooled! The vegetable package looks like an innocent kraft paper bag. In fact, that is how it's advertised on their web site. But inside, the bag is lined with plastic. I have e-mailed the company to find out what kind of plastic it is. (Bio? Petro?) Will post an update if/when I get an answer.

Brand: Western Family
Wax paper over a cardboard box.

Ice Cream & other frozen desserts

Brand: Ben & Jerry's (pint)
Plastic seal around the outside of the lid

Brand: Dove (pint)
Plastic seal around the outside of the lid as well as a ring of hard plastic around the lid.

Brand: Haagen Dasz (pint)
Plastic film under lid over ice cream as well as a ring of hard plastic around the lid.

Brand: Mashti Malone's ice cream & sorbets (pint)
Plastic-free

Brand: So Delicious (dairy-free mini sandwiches)
Individually wrapped in plastic

Brand: Stonyfield Farm (pint)
Plastic film under lid

Brand: Strauss Family Creamery (pint)
Plastic-free
 

 

Frozen Foods & my letter to Amy's Kitchen

6/20/2007: Nearly all frozen dinners are packaged with some kind of plastic. I say "nearly" because I have not checked them all out. I suspect they all are. The dilemma for me is that I don't like to cook, and frozen meals are so convenient, and the organic ones that you can get at Whole Foods are actually nutritious or at least better than Lean Cuisine.

Most of the commercial brands come in a plastic tray with a sheet of plastic over the top. Right off the bat, I'll eliminate those from my diet without hesitation. The healthier brands like Amy's Kitchen or Organic Bistro (Chicken Citron on Spinach with Herbed Quinoa and Sundried Tomato Edamame. YUM!) come packed in a biodegradable cardboard tray or bowl with either plastic wrap on the top or, in the case of Amy's, a plastic overwrap which surrounds the entire bowl. At a loss as to whether to continue purchasing these meals, I sent the following letter to Amy's Kitchen yesterday, and received a very prompt response. Please read both letters and help me decide what I should do!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Terry
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 4:41 PM
To: Amy
Subject: Amy's Contact: any products without plastic?

Dear Amy,
Hi. I am really trying to reduce the amount of plastic waste I generate this year. Are there any Amy's products that are packaged without any plastic? I'm really sad to give up the stuffed shells, but I simply can't justify the plastic covering. Also, do you have plans to reduce the amount of plastic that you currently use? I AM grateful that you don't use a plastic tray, but I'd still like to see a package with zero plastic if that's possible.

From Beth Terry

-------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Amy's Contact: any products without plastic?
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:52:19 -0700
From: "Amy"
To: [Beth Terry]
Hello Beth,

Thanks for taking the time to contact us. I can certainly understand your desire to eliminate plastic waste! Whenever possible we do indeed try to package our meals in the least amount of packaging!

We originally packaged several of our meals without the plastic wrap (FYI... technically it is called 'overwrap'). Do do this, we needed to use a "thicker" cardboard box. While the box was completely recyclable... we found that many recycling centers refused to recycle these boxes because it "touched the food". We also found the meals were frankly not "surviving" the transportation process...and we received calls from consumers complaining about this issue (as well as not being able to recycle). Another think that I notice was that consumers thought that we had "made a mistake" and had either "forgotten the overwrap" or that the package had been tampered with. So we found that in addition to protecting the meals...the plastic wrap actually does give an extra sense of comfort knowing that this meal was not "tampered" with. Does this make sense?

But please remember that all of our [outer] packaging is recyclable...I would really hate for you to give up this meal!

Please send us your mailing address and I would be happy to send you our brochure and coupons.

Best regards,

Carol Tamagni
Customer Relations

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So, what should I do? Anyone? She wants to send me coupons! (I'm so cheap, easy, and superficial.)