Environment

Packaging News is urging readers to contribute to a Women's Institute (WI) survey on supermarkets' food packaging, to bring balance to public debate.

The online poll has been launched by the WI to evaluate the performance of supermarkets in reducing what it describes as "unnecessary and excessive" food packaging.

Participants in the poll will find the lowly cucumber under scrutiny again in question one. This asks whether supermarkets are packaging their cucumbers and whether any packaging was "appropriate", in terms of quantity rather than suitability for extending shelf life.

The questionnaire looks at how a wide range of foods are packaged, whether incentives to avoid the use of plastic carrier bags are offered, and where supermarkets have been making the most substantial improvements.

The survey is also backed by The Independent, which has been at the forefront of public criticism of packaging in recent months through its Campaign Against Waste.

To see the poll on the Women's Institute website, click here.

Meanwhile, a MORI poll has found that 84% of people felt retailers had made some progress in reducing their environmental impact, but only 5% said they were doing as much as they could as quickly as they could.