this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
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I'm sharing this because any reduction in unnecessary packaging waste is good for the planet - and because I think laser-etching avocados is funny. πŸ™‚

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[–] [email protected] 76 points 5 months ago (8 children)

But they are already avocados, packaging or etching is completely avoidable…

[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 months ago

But how are you supposed to know it's an avocado if it's not laser etched??????????????? /s

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Agreed, but since they're not avoiding packaging or etching, etching is better.

Personally, I'd rather see them etched wit guacamole recipes.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Many people forget that a store can have two types of avocados priced differently that then needs to be distinguished from one another at the checkout. It could for example be organic Vs conventional. Or for apples there are many different types that can all look the same. I find this type of tech pretty cool. I would love to see variations of it. Maybe editable wax ink or something like that

[–] mercator_rejection 4 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Around here we just have little stickers on the produce with a code number on it. Most produce is just stacked with no packaging. You collect as many as you want in a bag. At the check out, the little code number can be used tell what the exact variety is.

This seems a lot simpler than lazer etching to me, but idk, maybe that is really cheap and easy too?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

It's also about the fear of people just moving stickers around. I personally think it's probably only a very small amount of people who would actually do that so the cost of preventing that is not worth it.

I can inform you that laser edging is much cheaper and way faster than stickers. Lasers are cheap and you don't have any consumables you need to keep buying like stickers.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Seriously, I feel like this could all have been replaced by a paper sign...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago

Some markets that use signs also use a dot or two from a colored pen on the differently priced avocados (organic, large, etc.) to distinguish them at checkout.

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[–] thesmokingman 31 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I’ve never seen avocados in a box. Is that a common thing outside of the US?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Come to Denmark and you'll be seriously shocked by how much plastic is used for food packaging. It's insane and I hate it so much.

[–] thesmokingman 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The US has its own share of overly plastic packaging. I have occasionally seen individual vegetables shrinkwrapped. It’s just not the norm.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I saw a pre-peeled orange for sale at a convenience store. It was wrapped in plastic wrap. Like, whyβ€½β€½β€½ They literally grow their own wrapper....

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It happens to cucumbers relatively often but other veggies are just so weirdly shaped from a packaging standpoint that I don't think they see it as worthwhile

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Cucumbers have much better shelf-life when shrink-wrapped. It ends up a debate of which is worse between food waste and plastic waste.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Tesco is in the Uk so I would say so.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You know what’s even less packaging? Not putting them in a box

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And not etching them as well.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Dunno why you got downvoted for this. I don't see why they'd waste energy etching them when they can just label the tub they're displayed in.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I once laser engraved "help I'm a banana" on a banana.

Death to non-compostable produce stickers. If lasers are what it takes, I'm all for it (not sure if that's really what's going on here though).

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Death to non-compostable produce stickers.

God I hate those. They constantly end up in the compost despite my best efforts. God only knows how many of them are part of the soil in my garden now.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Archeologists of whatever species comes after us will be excited to learn about your food choices

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

"Wow, they sure did eat a lot of stickers."

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I feel like other grocers have already solved this problem by just not putting barcodes on the produce at all, and having the item manually punched in at the register while it's on a scale (if it's sold by weight and not per item).

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (4 children)

You know what other option is popular and much more common than packaging or etching. A tiny sticker, made out of recycled paper.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Better yet biodegradable paper and glue so you just throw all the shit in a compost bin!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

The stickers are compostable and edible already

Editing to say I'm a liar I guess, since I couldn't find proof to back this claim and have just been eating plastic sometimes.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

You dont even need the sticker. They are avocados and are distinct and easy for a cashier or moron at self checkout to figure out how to ring up.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Rice paper, IIRC, with edible ink and glue

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think a lot of produce uses some PVC material for labels.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

in the US i believe by law food stickers need to be edible.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Yeah I was googling around and as far as I could tell they must not be harmful if accidentally consumed, but I think can still be made of plastic (which is...weird), and don't need to be compostable:

https://modernfarmer.com/2018/03/little-produce-stickers-are-big-waste-problem/

https://nerc.org/news-and-updates/blog/nerc-blog/2021/11/09/produce-stickers-a-small-but-mighty-problem

I could be wrong though, it's kinda confusing as to the rules.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (2 children)

What? You guys wrapping avocado individually in a paper box? Why?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

I dunno. Supermarkets near where I live sell avocados individually out of a big plastic tub under a sign saying AVOCADOS in case you can't tell by looking.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Why are single avocados packaged in any way?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Ah yes, putting company logos directly onto our food. Just what I've always wanted.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

If it saves on waste, I say go for it


I hate removing those stupid stickers before throwing them in the compost.

Bananas take really well to laser engraving.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They use this technique for a while now to mark organic fruit and veg in my (german) supermarket. Where they used packaging previously to distinguish them from regular, cheaper produce, they can omit that now. I like it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Was about to say this. I was a bit surprised my ginger had a logo lasered into it the first time I saw this

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I would totally eat Laser Avocado Doritos!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Laser all the foods!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Would be cool to Lazer the Barcode on it

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I believe this has been tried, but is difficult to do with most produce because the shape changes as the fruit ages on the shelf, making the barcodes unusable.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

they could etch an advertisement on them to subsidize the cost.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Or "you could have bought a house"

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Or buy things without packaging when it is available like for avocados

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