Meat packaging ban should be considered before vote

Jillian Cherry

Staff Writer

In February of 2019, the Manhattan Beach City Council was delayed on a vote to eliminate foam meat trays in Manhattan Beach. If Manhattan Beach banned these harmful trays, they would join San Francisco, San Diego, and Malibu in the polystyrene ban in a beneficial attempt to save the environment.

While the ban would be beneficial for both people and the environment, there are some conflicts. Grocers were not told about the ban until Feb. 14 and had some concerns. While some grocers already use recycled plastics to package some meat products, it would be difficult to switch over entirely as recycled plastics are too stiff and could cause food safety problems by cutting meat products. Malibu has a similar program to the one suggested in Manhattan Beach, but it limits particular meat sales, which have gone down by 10-15%, according to the Daily Breeze.

In an attempt to mediate the issue, some grocers will purchase food in styrofoam containers, but will still distribute their meat products in compostable containers, which ultimately creates a massive amount of waste, according to the Daily Breeze. Small businesses will suffer if they are forced to purchase more expensive food containers.

A ban on foam meat packaging will be much better for the environment and it is worth it to take the effort to save the community in which we live. While styrofoam does crumble easily, it is  impervious to photolysis, which signifies the breaking down of an object by light protons, according to green-mom.com.

The production of styrofoam is bad for the environment. It is made from petroleum, which is non-sustainable, and its ingredients pollute the air, damage the ozone, and accelerate climate change. Styrene is one of the main ingredients to make styrofoam and is incredibly bad for humans. It can cause irritation of the eyes, lungs, and skin, and can lead to depression and even affect the kidney. The health risks alone are reason enough to make the switch away from petroleum.

With so many cons and so few pros for styrofoam, it is unhealthy to continue using polystyrene in packaging. An alternative is using compostable trays, but we do not have a compost program, though San Francisco does, and they have been relatively successful in the ban. Their next meeting is Mar.6 and hopefully they will discuss the ban, and City Council will allocate their resources towards a compost program.