The World Briefly

November 23, 2023

Making a Stink

France

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French cheesemakers are expressing anger over a proposed European Union recycling rule that may see the traditional round wooden boxes used for Camembert cheese replaced with plastic ones, Sky News reported.

The European Parliament is set to vote on the regulation, requiring all food packaging to be recyclable by 2030.

But some French producers fear that the language of the proposal could eliminate the use of wooden boxes for Camembert, impacting 2,000 jobs and 45 firms in France. Many of them noted that plastic packaging can heat up the cheese and alter the product over the long term.

Protests against the proposal emphasize the cultural and national significance of traditional packaging for French cheeses. French EU lawmaker Laurence Sailliet described the replacement of the traditional wooden packaging as “a gustatory and environmental aberration.”

Observers noted that even if the wooden boxes are not banned, there will be concerns over the potential economic impact because they may face new recycling and reuse regulations, increasing costs.

EU legislators are pushing for an exemption for wooden packaging from the proposed recycling regulations.

European Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius assured that raw-milk, specialized non-industrial Camemberts, with a controlled designation of origin, will be exempt from any regulation.

This story originally appeared in the November 23, 2023 newsletter, Old Money.