EACH YEAR, we eat over 8 kilogrammes of chocolate per head in the UK(1). We eat more than almost anywhere else on Earth and much of it at Easter. Around 80 million Easter Eggs are sold each year in the UK. Most are packaged in cardboard or plastic, generating around 3,000 tonnes of packaging waste. Cardboard packaging is readily recycled, but much of the plastic is likely to be thrown away.
This Easter, when you choose Easter Eggs, try to think about the packaging. Look for those sold without plastic packing. Most of the major manufacturers have set targets for reducing their plastic use, so there should be plenty of options. Some have even introduced ‘Plastic Free’ logos on their egg boxes.
As well as the packaging, look for eggs made with fairly traded chocolate. Products bearing the Fair Trade Mark are made from chocolate for which cocoa growers have been paid a fair price.
For vegans and those with milk allergies, there are a surprising number of alternatives to traditional chocolate eggs. These are increasingly available from mainstream supermarkets, as well as local specialist stores, such as the True Food Coop in Emmer Green.
1. Data from the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries: www.cbi.eu/market-information
Dr Alison Johnston, Caversham Bridge, 2017 (Editors Login)