Yogurt Containers and Snack Bags Made From Corn?

• Share This Post
• Pin It
• 2
• 6
• Sparkle (
  1
  )
   

Is packaging made from corn too noisy? Is it even good for the environment?

Plastic made from corn seems to be the new trend for companies that want an alternative to petroleum-based plastic packaging. Last year, Pepsico's Frito Lay introduced a new PLA (polylactic acid) bag for its SunChips snacks, and last week Stonyfield Yogurt announced new PLA containers for its multi-packs. But how well does PLA work? And is it as safe and eco-friendly as these companies would have you believe?

SunChips thought they were onto something with a bag that would supposedly break down in an industrial compost system or even in your backyard. Unfortunately, the bag turned out to be too noisy for a lot of Americans' sensitive ears. After complaints ranging from letters to entire YouTube videos, Frito Lay pulled the bag from store shelves, promising that it would work on a quieter bio-based package.

I did my own sound test in my local Safeway just to find out what all the fuss was about and posted my own little YouTube video comparing the compostable bag with a regular SunChips bag. What do you think?

The whole uproar was just irritating to me. "Come on, people," I wanted to scream. "Is the sound of your snack bag so much more important than the fate of the planet? And what about the processed crap that's in that bag to begin with?" But then I looked into PLA a little further and discovered that it's not necessarily the eco-friendly material that many of us hoped it would be.

Dangers of PLA

Besides the apparently annoying sound of the bag, there are other issues with PLA of which you should be aware.

Corn: Industrial corn farming requires huge amounts of water and petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides. And growing corn in this country is fraught with other environmentally and socially damaging practices. From monoculture farming that destroys diversity to genetically modified organisms that ensure the monopolization of the food supply by large corporations, industrial corn is a troubling business. Because of these issues, a recent University of Pittsburgh study concluded that biopolymers might be dirtier to produce than oil-based polymers.

Chemical Additives: Most people are surprised to know that PLA products, like petroleum-based plastics, contain additives that can leach, especially when heated. And the really scary thing is that besides the manufacturers of the plastic, NO ONE KNOWS what those additives are! Not the consumer, for sure. But not even the companies that contract to have their bags and containers made from the stuff. In a Stonyfield Farm webinar last week, the company admitted that it doesn't know what chemicals are added to its PLA containers because no plastic manfacturer will disclose that information. In fact, the rep who presented the webinar stated, "Plastic is the most secret industry you can imagine."

If we don't know what chemicals are added to our plastic and PLA products, how can any of us know for sure that it's safe? The FDA regulates the safety of packaging, but it doesn't require full disclosure of the additives. And we're talking about the same FDA that continues to maintain that the hormone-disruptor bisphenol-a (BPA) is safe.

Contaminates the Recycling Stream: May recyclers are concerned about the fact that if PLA containers are tossed in with other plastics for recycling, the material will contaminate the waste stream and making recycling much more difficult.

Are Stonyfield's PLA Yogurt Cups Better?

Fully aware of the list of PLA hazards that I mentioned above, Stonyfield Farm, makers of organic yogurt products, set out to create a PLA container that would be safer and less resource intensive than other PLA packaging to date. The company announced its new containers last week and was very open about the pluses and minuses. Here are a few steps that the company has taken to ensure its packaging would be healthier for people and the planet.

PLA vs. Polystyrene: Stonyfield's new yogurt cups replace the 4-ounce multipack cups that were previously made from polystyrene, the same plastic that Styrofoam is made from. Polystyrene is difficult to recycle. What's more, styrene, the basic building