OK, I admit it. I bought into the marketing hype hook, line and sinker. Even with twenty years experience in advertising sales and some finely tuned marketing radar, I still couldn't resist adding the bag of SunChips to my shopping cart.
I had seen the ad on TV weeks before. It showed a SunChips bag laying in the soil and slowly disintegrating, ultimately becoming compost. Yup... they had my attention. Fast forward to my local supermarket with its extensive natural and organic options, and there, on an endcap: SunChips in huge bags, sporting the 100% Compostable logo and a special reduced price. After much deliberation, ("well, I can at least write about this on my blog"), I actually returned a box of organic, seeded, whole grain crackers to the shelf, and replaced the carb content of my cart with this super sized, crinkly, compostable bag of artificially colored snack food.
Now, as far as snacks go, SunChips may not be the worst addition to your kids' lunchbox compared to Frito Lay's other products, but let's face it: health food it's not. I haven't seen Yellow Lake 6, Yellow Lake 5, Blue 1 or Red 40 on the nutritional food pyramid lately. But this brand is no stranger to clever marketing hype.... peruse some of SunChips' print advertising from last year (before the focus on environment), and you'd swear it was part of an FDA recommended healthy heart diet!
My intention is not to slam this product, or judge FritoLay's environmental efforts as solely opportunistic. I truly believe that everyone can only start where they are, and that each step in the right direction deserves encouragement. Their solar powered plant, compostable bag, and educational website explaining how to compost, is certainly a start.
But caveat emptor... buyer beware. When you judge a product by its marketing slogan when it comes to your health and the health of our planet, you are at risk. We need to dig deeper, read the fine print, and think holistically about the impact of our choices.
The best snack foods - like fruits, nuts and veggies - come in their own biodegradable and compostable packaging. And instead of empty calories, along with the sweet, savory and/or crunchy satisfaction, you will benefit from the vitamins, nutrients, sustained energy and a sensual experience of smells, tastes and textures that only nature can provide. Make that snack organic, and you're further supporting the health of your body, the planet, and a sustainable economy.
With all that said, the bag of SunChips now sits empty on the counter. My belly is a bit disgruntled from the experience, but what's a little suffering for the sake of an educational experience?
Tomorrow, that bag goes into the compost heap. I hope it's better at digesting this product than I am.
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Great post. When will I see your lovely writing on my site?
ReplyDeleteJoe
The best snack foods - like fruits, nuts and veggies - come in their own biodegradable and compostable packaging.
ReplyDeleteHA! Brilliant.
Honestly, I was hoping you'd evaluate the claim - does it actually decompose?
There's also much more to dig into: does it decompose into elements that your ecosystem is familiar with, or just some "nontoxics"? What about the *rest* of the system that brought this bag to you? There are so many parts it's almost counterproductive to focus on the decomposition of the leftover bag.
I've got one of those bag in my compost bin. Of course it won't do much in the winter, but I'll see how it "digests" this summer.
ReplyDelete