28 October 2009 — According to Karachi News Net, plastic goods consumption is expected to double in the next three years in India, most of it from food packaging. This news outlines a scary trend. When Jay and I visited India back in December 2002, I was impressed with how little plastic was used on a daily basis. Families could not afford to buy plastic products that would not last. Instead, they would use stainless steel containers that would be passed on from generations to generations. Most of the food was freshly prepared as refrigerators were not widely available. Tiffin food catering services were used for offering office
workers fresh meals delivered to their office doors. This is all changing as mentality is shifting from the long term to the short term. The disposable consumption mentality is making its way deep into middle class India.
There’s this tiffin service in India called Zaika Tiffin service. For 50 rupees (about $1.00), you get rotis, rice, daal, two veggie dishes, salad and pickle. Delivered hot in a reusable stainless steel tiffin to your office door. I can’t help but wonder how long it will take before these meals start being offered in disposable plastic containers.
We have been offering stainless steel 304 tiffins for sale at Life Without Plastic since 2006 and we have noticed a sharp increase in demand for these products in the past year. This is encouraging… Please let me know if you are aware of any catering service in North America offering its products in stainless steel instead of plastic. We would like to talk about them on this blog. Or if your local take-out restaurant might be interested in switching to reusable stainless steel containers, let them know about us. We would love to partner with innovative Earth-conscious restaurants to start a new trend.
Chantal Plamondon, co-owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com