Whole Foods Market announced that it will reduce plastic by eliminate plastic straws from its stores by July of this year, among other changes.
In addition, the grocer switched to smaller plastic bags in its produce department this year and is replacing hard plastic rotisserie chicken containers with new bags that use approximately 70% less plastic.
The company said these packaging changes will reduce an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastic per year.
“For almost 40 years, caring for the environment has been central to our mission and how we operate,” said Whole Foods President and Chief Merchandising Officer A.C. Gallo. “We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, team members and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes, which will eliminate an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastics annually. We will continue to look for additional opportunities to further reduce plastic across our stores.”
By July, Whole Foods will remove plastic straws from Whole Foods Market-operated venues, including Allegro coffee bars, juice bars and cafes.
The company said it is the first national grocer to make this change.
As a replacement for plastic straws, it will offer customers paper straws with frozen drinks or upon request; the paper straws are Forest Stewardship Council-certified, recyclable and compostable. The company will still offer a plastic straw option for customers with disabilities.