In the European Union, organic foods have to be specially marked so that customers can tell them from conventional products. Yet ironically, the best marking is wrapping them in environmentally unfriendly single-use plastic.

But now the Dutch company Eosta has found a way to “engrave” its organic fruit and vegetable labels directly on the product. When Eosta and the Swedish supermarket ICA tried selling organic fruit and vegetables with natural branding in 2016, they claimed they replaced millions of pieces of plastic packaging.

According to the Dutch company, the laser mark has no negative effect on the look, taste or durability of the product. The technology is particularly suitable for fruit and vegetables with a hard shell, such as kiwis, avocados and cucumbers. But this is obviously impractical for small foods such as grapes, and citrus fruits quickly replace pigments in their peels, making the logo invisible. And widespread consumer acceptance is still an unknown.

Still, anything to save plastic is worth trying.

Taken from “Finally, an Alternative to Plastic for Labeling Organics” at https://www.dw.com/en/finally-an-alternative-to-plastic-for-labeling-organics/a-44084391.