Our Family’s Ongoing Mission to Buy Food Without Plastic Packaging
- Jules Miller
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 21 hours ago
About eight years ago, our family decided to try and cut plastic out of our food shop. Not completely, we weren’t aiming for perfection, but we wanted to reduce the amount of single-use plastic coming into our home, especially the kind that’s difficult or impossible to recycle.
We started by looking for obvious swaps: loose fruit and veg, refill shops, paper-wrapped goods. What we found was that avoiding plastic altogether is hard. Really hard. It takes more time, often costs more money, and isn’t always convenient. But over the years, we’ve made some swaps that work for us and become part of our routine.
Some things have been easier than expected, others much harder - and unfortunately, UK supermarkets still aren’t doing enough to make plastic-free shopping simple or affordable for the average family.
Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve tried, what’s stuck, and where we still struggle.
Bread – A Clear Win
This was one of our first and easiest changes. We completely stopped buying supermarket bread, which always came wrapped in plastic. Instead, we now use the local bakeries in Wotton that sell unpackaged bread. Since we live a few miles out of town, we also invested in a breadmaker. It’s become a staple in our kitchen - we use it at least twice a week.
Most of the ingredients (flour, sugar,) come in paper or metal, though yeast has a plastic lid and salt is in a plastic packet. Still, it’s a huge improvement.
Plastic packaging: ~5%
Fresh Produce – Small Steps, Big Gaps
Fresh fruit and vegetables have been a mixed bag. Some supermarkets have made it easier to buy unpackaged produce. We regularly find loose carrots, broccoli, bananas, leeks, onions, and potatoes. Other items - like lettuce, spinach, berries, and tomatoes - seem almost impossible to buy without plastic.
When I can get to Wotton’s fruit & veg shop or the farm shop, the selection of plastic-free produce is fantastic. But like many families, we rely on supermarkets for the bulk of our shopping, and their loose produce options are limited and inconsistent.
Plastic packaging: ~30%
Frozen Food – Still Searching for Chips!
Frozen food is another tricky area.
I’ve yet to find oven chips that come in anything other than plastic packaging. I do sometimes make my own - but my kids aren’t exactly thrilled!
One positive discovery has been Packd, an online supplier of frozen organic fruit that comes in paper packaging. It’s not the cheapest option, but having ready-to-use fruit in the freezer is convenient. When I find fresh fruit at a good price, I’ll also buy extra and freeze it.
Wotton Farm Shop has a self-serve freezer where I can bring my own container for frozen fruit and veg - a great option, when I have time.
Supermarkets still haven’t caught up. Most frozen veg and almost all frozen fish and meat come wrapped in plastic. A few items, like some fish or burgers, come in cardboard, but they’re the exception.
Ice cream is one thing we’ve compromised on. I haven’t found the cardboard packets I remember from childhood, so we buy plastic tubs and then reuse them for crafts, seedlings, leftovers, packed lunches etc.
Plastic packaging: ~50%
Sauces, Condiments & Oils – Workarounds
We’ve found a few ways to reduce plastic in this area, though it’s still challenging. Supermarket own-brand oils usually come in plastic bottles, while glass options tend to be more expensive. We’ve started ordering oils in bulk online, which cuts down on overall waste.
Many sauces come in glass jars now, but ketchup is still a sticking point. The only version my kids will eat comes in plastic, so we continue to buy it, for now.
Plastic packaging: ~50%
Meat & Fish – Still Heavily Packaged
Unless you have easy access to a butcher or a supermarket with a fresh meat counter, almost all meat and fish is plastic-wrapped. We’ve reduced the amount of meat we eat, which helps, but it’s still a significant source of packaging waste in our house.
Plastic packaging: ~100%
Tea & Coffee – Progress and Pitfalls
Tea is easier than it used to be.
Most boxes now clearly state whether the bags are plastic-free, and many herbal teas come in fully recyclable paper packaging. However, many “plastic-free” teabags actually use PLA - a plant-based plastic. It doesn’t break down in home compost, but it can go in the food bin for incineration.
Instant coffee usually comes in glass jars, which is great. Unfortunately, most fresh coffee (ground or beans) comes in plastic-lined packs. Buying in bulk has helped us to reduce the amount of packaging overall.
Plastic packaging: ~50%
Dried Foods – A Mixed Bag
Pasta has been a bit of a win lately - some Waitrose branches now stock paper bags of dried pasta, although they tend to cost more. I’ve also tried YoYo Grocery, an online zero-waste shop. They ship pasta and rice in reusable plastic bags and include a prepaid envelope to return them. It’s a brilliant idea, but not always affordable, especially when shopping for a family.
I buy oats in bulk and get pinhead oatmeal online in paper packaging. Porridge oats are easily available in supermarkets in paper bags. Other cereals, though, still come in plastic—so I try to reuse the bags where I can (they make good freezer bags).
Plastic packaging: ~60%
Dairy – A Tough Category
Dairy is one of the hardest areas to avoid plastic. Apart from Boursin, I’ve yet to find cheese in the supermarket that isn’t plastic-wrapped. We get some of our milk delivered in glass bottles, but not all, as it’s more expensive. Yogurt, cream, and butter all still come in plastic packaging.
Plastic packaging: ~90%
Snacks – Small Steps, Big Struggles
This is a difficult one for me.
There are weeks when I feel motivated to bake a batch of flapjacks or cookies for the kids’ school snacks - but realistically, it’s not something I do consistently.
The more common reality is plastic-wrapped “kid-friendly” snacks. I try to buy larger packets and decant them into smaller containers to cut down on individual wrappers, but it’s still a frustrating source of waste.
Plastic packaging: ~80%
Looking Back – and Ahead
We’ve definitely reduced the amount of plastic we use compared to when we started. Some habits have stuck and become second nature. Others are ongoing compromises.
The biggest challenge has been that the responsibility largely falls on the consumer.
Most people are trying to balance cost, convenience, and time - and often, plastic-free options just don’t fit within those constraints. It shouldn’t be this hard.
If supermarkets and major brands made non-plastic packaging the norm, it would have a huge impact. It would also make sustainable choices more accessible for everyone - not just those with extra time, money, or local access to refill stores.
For now, we’ll keep doing what we can. Some weeks are better than others, and that’s okay. This isn’t about being perfect - it’s about making changes that are realistic, and pushing for bigger changes where they’re needed.