| You don't have to go that far back in time to come | | | | through more food preparation and packaging in one |
| across a time when local grocer's shops would | | | | day than one person could carry out in a month. This |
| package everything up in brown paper bags for us to | | | | has meant more job losses. |
| take home. Shopping was a pleasure that came with | | | | On top of this, we now understand more about the |
| a personal touch. We weren't inundated with a | | | | environmental impact that this non-recyclable |
| plethora of plastic bags, plastic and polystyrene | | | | packaging has on the environment. Landfill sites full of |
| packaging and reams of cling film with no | | | | food packaging that takes forever to rot away are |
| environmentally friendly way of disposing of them. | | | | having a detrimental effect on the very air that we |
| Even people did become slightly more aware of | | | | breathe. |
| environmental concerns it was then decided we | | | | Dyes in the printing on the packaging are also causing |
| shouldn't chop down trees for paper bags, but use | | | | problems. Some of this packaging is shipped to other |
| this other rubbish instead. | | | | countries for an attempt at recycling but the material |
| Better communication systems and more choices in | | | | has to be washed and stripped of its dye first. This |
| travel meant that people were spread further and | | | | then runs into the local water system causing further |
| further across the country. On top of that the | | | | pollution but sending the problem to a different area |
| population was growing at an alarming rate. This gave | | | | is just no good. |
| birth to the necessity for larger shops and more | | | | So, are we looking at a time that will see us going |
| mass produced food that could be harvested, | | | | back to the days when food was packaged in brown |
| prepared and onto the shop shelves in as short a | | | | paper? I, for one, hope so. The Americans have the |
| time as possible. It was also necessary to find a way | | | | right idea. Their groceries are packed in strong, |
| of storing the food for longer, preventing | | | | recyclable paper bags. Not only are these good for |
| contamination and making it last longer. | | | | our planet but have you seen someone carry them? |
| Of course, this would have been done originally in a | | | | Without handles, you have no choice but to carry |
| factory by workers but at the end of the day, it | | | | the bulk of the weight in front of you in your arms. |
| simply wasn't a quick enough method and packaging | | | | This is the correct way to carry a heavy weight. |
| machinery was called for. Machines were built that | | | | Many a time I have seen women struggling back |
| could prepare food and package it in a much more | | | | from shops with heavy plastic bags at their sides, |
| clinical and hygienic way, thus leading to less | | | | pulling them down to a stooping posture and cutting |
| contamination but at the same time, fewer jobs as | | | | into the hands. This is bad for the hand and arm |
| not so many people were needed to run these | | | | joints, it is bad for the shoulders, back and neck and |
| machines. | | | | can cause lasting damage. A sensible bag that can be |
| As time has gone by, packaging machinery has | | | | carried in the correct way and would not be harmful |
| required less and less input other than the initial set | | | | when disposed of has to be so much better than |
| up. Now, most packaging machinery comes equipped | | | | ruining our bodies and environment with this plastic |
| with its own on-board computer and after a few | | | | rubbish. Even if it does mean the loss of packaging |
| minutes programming by one person, it is set to run | | | | machinery. |