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I'm sharing this because any reduction in unnecessary packaging waste is good for the planet - and because I think laser-etching avocados is funny. 🙂

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[-] ngons@feddit.nu 76 points 5 months ago

But they are already avocados, packaging or etching is completely avoidable…

[-] mipadaitu@lemmy.world 35 points 5 months ago

But how are you supposed to know it's an avocado if it's not laser etched??????????????? /s

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 18 points 5 months ago

Agreed, but since they're not avoiding packaging or etching, etching is better.

Personally, I'd rather see them etched wit guacamole recipes.

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[-] TDCN@feddit.dk 17 points 5 months ago

Many people forget that a store can have two types of avocados priced differently that then needs to be distinguished from one another at the checkout. It could for example be organic Vs conventional. Or for apples there are many different types that can all look the same. I find this type of tech pretty cool. I would love to see variations of it. Maybe editable wax ink or something like that

[-] mercator_rejection@programming.dev 4 points 5 months ago

Around here we just have little stickers on the produce with a code number on it. Most produce is just stacked with no packaging. You collect as many as you want in a bag. At the check out, the little code number can be used tell what the exact variety is.

This seems a lot simpler than lazer etching to me, but idk, maybe that is really cheap and easy too?

[-] TDCN@feddit.dk 4 points 5 months ago

It's also about the fear of people just moving stickers around. I personally think it's probably only a very small amount of people who would actually do that so the cost of preventing that is not worth it.

I can inform you that laser edging is much cheaper and way faster than stickers. Lasers are cheap and you don't have any consumables you need to keep buying like stickers.

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[-] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 15 points 5 months ago

Seriously, I feel like this could all have been replaced by a paper sign...

[-] mox@lemmy.sdf.org 14 points 5 months ago

Some markets that use signs also use a dot or two from a colored pen on the differently priced avocados (organic, large, etc.) to distinguish them at checkout.

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[-] thesmokingman@programming.dev 31 points 5 months ago

I’ve never seen avocados in a box. Is that a common thing outside of the US?

[-] TDCN@feddit.dk 13 points 5 months ago

Come to Denmark and you'll be seriously shocked by how much plastic is used for food packaging. It's insane and I hate it so much.

[-] thesmokingman@programming.dev 9 points 5 months ago

The US has its own share of overly plastic packaging. I have occasionally seen individual vegetables shrinkwrapped. It’s just not the norm.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

I saw a pre-peeled orange for sale at a convenience store. It was wrapped in plastic wrap. Like, why‽‽‽ They literally grow their own wrapper....

[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

It happens to cucumbers relatively often but other veggies are just so weirdly shaped from a packaging standpoint that I don't think they see it as worthwhile

[-] eRac 4 points 5 months ago

Cucumbers have much better shelf-life when shrink-wrapped. It ends up a debate of which is worse between food waste and plastic waste.

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[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 30 points 5 months ago

You know what’s even less packaging? Not putting them in a box

[-] Allero@lemmy.today 9 points 5 months ago

And not etching them as well.

[-] Heavybell@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

Dunno why you got downvoted for this. I don't see why they'd waste energy etching them when they can just label the tub they're displayed in.

[-] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 20 points 5 months ago

I once laser engraved "help I'm a banana" on a banana.

Death to non-compostable produce stickers. If lasers are what it takes, I'm all for it (not sure if that's really what's going on here though).

[-] Sludgehammer@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

Death to non-compostable produce stickers.

God I hate those. They constantly end up in the compost despite my best efforts. God only knows how many of them are part of the soil in my garden now.

[-] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 5 months ago

Archeologists of whatever species comes after us will be excited to learn about your food choices

[-] myusernameis@lemmy.ca 5 points 5 months ago

"Wow, they sure did eat a lot of stickers."

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[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 19 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I feel like other grocers have already solved this problem by just not putting barcodes on the produce at all, and having the item manually punched in at the register while it's on a scale (if it's sold by weight and not per item).

[-] MeatPilot@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

You know what other option is popular and much more common than packaging or etching. A tiny sticker, made out of recycled paper.

[-] almar_quigley@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago

Better yet biodegradable paper and glue so you just throw all the shit in a compost bin!

[-] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

The stickers are compostable and edible already

Editing to say I'm a liar I guess, since I couldn't find proof to back this claim and have just been eating plastic sometimes.

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[-] BakerBagel@midwest.social 7 points 5 months ago

You dont even need the sticker. They are avocados and are distinct and easy for a cashier or moron at self checkout to figure out how to ring up.

[-] Steve@startrek.website 6 points 5 months ago

Rice paper, IIRC, with edible ink and glue

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[-] cordlesslamp@lemmy.today 9 points 5 months ago

What? You guys wrapping avocado individually in a paper box? Why?

[-] spittingimage@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

I dunno. Supermarkets near where I live sell avocados individually out of a big plastic tub under a sign saying AVOCADOS in case you can't tell by looking.

[-] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 3 points 5 months ago

I've never seen Tesco sell avocados like this before, normally they're just loose in a box or something

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 9 points 5 months ago

Why are single avocados packaged in any way?

[-] obinice@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

Ah yes, putting company logos directly onto our food. Just what I've always wanted.

[-] qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website 7 points 5 months ago

If it saves on waste, I say go for it


I hate removing those stupid stickers before throwing them in the compost.

Bananas take really well to laser engraving.

[-] norimee@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

They use this technique for a while now to mark organic fruit and veg in my (german) supermarket. Where they used packaging previously to distinguish them from regular, cheaper produce, they can omit that now. I like it.

[-] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 5 months ago

Was about to say this. I was a bit surprised my ginger had a logo lasered into it the first time I saw this

[-] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 5 points 5 months ago

I would totally eat Laser Avocado Doritos!

[-] Twinkletoes@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago

Laser all the foods!

[-] Nikls94@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

Would be cool to Lazer the Barcode on it

[-] Chozo@fedia.io 5 points 5 months ago

I believe this has been tried, but is difficult to do with most produce because the shape changes as the fruit ages on the shelf, making the barcodes unusable.

[-] Num10ck@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

they could etch an advertisement on them to subsidize the cost.

[-] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 6 points 5 months ago

Or "you could have bought a house"

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[-] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 4 points 5 months ago

Or buy things without packaging when it is available like for avocados

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this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
275 points (96.6% liked)

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