Polystyrene egg trays spark probe

n investigation has been launched into reports of eggs being sold in trays made of banned polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, Environment Minister Adrian Forde confirmed on Wednesday.

A Barbados TODAY investigation revealed the foam plastic boxes came with the importation of eggs by a major egg provider that claimed it would be too expensive to pack the eggs in the biodegradable packaging that replaced the banned plastic.

Officials from the Division of Commerce are expected to visit supermarkets to assess the containers and test them to determine whether they are in fact made of substances prohibited under Barbadian law, Forde said.

Photos circulating on social media showed imported eggs being sold in a supermarket in containers carrying the Hillandale Farms brand, with a caption questioning who would face penalties – the importer or the retailer – for the apparent use of polystyrene packaging, which violates the ban.

Hillandale Farms is one of the largest suppliers of chicken eggs in the United States.

Barbados TODAY confirmed sighting the eggs in containers in the refrigerated section of at least one supermarket. But, the store’s operations manager declined to comment and referred the team to the eggs’ source, Chickmont Foods Ltd.

Trevor Gunby, the head of Chickmont’s egg division, explained that the company imported a container of eggs due to shortages over Christmas 2023, and the January and February 2024 periods.

“We brought in the eggs because of the shortage that existed…and they came in dozen-containers,” he said, noting the eggs were distributed in the same packaging they were imported in.

Asked if the eggs could have been repackaged, Gunby said that would incur costs that could not be passed on to the consumer: “We would have had to buy dozen-boxes to repack them but it was just a stopgap to stop the shortage. It is not anything that continues. Unfortunately, they came the way they are….This is a genuine mistake that took place.”

Minister Forde said he was unaware of the matter but promised an investigation, explaining it can be difficult to differentiate between banned petroleum-based plastics and permitted compostable materials just by looking at them.

“We have had reports in the past and sometimes when tests are done, persons are within the ambit of the law as it relates to compostable material. So the officers from the Division of Commerce will go out and get it tested and if the person contravenes the law, the law is there to speak for itself [in terms of penalties],” he said.

The alleged violation over the egg containers suggests some challenging grey areas in interpreting and enforcing the plastic ban, which could require either further clarity or tighter rules, according to one environmentalist.

Kammie Holder, director of The Future Centre Trust, expressed deep concern that environmental issues are not being taken seriously enough in Barbados, with a lack of proper policing of environmental laws.

Passed in 2019, the Control of Disposable Plastics Act prohibits the importation, manufacturing and retail of certain single-use plastics, including polystyrene egg trays, with offenders liable to fines up to $50 000 or one year’s imprisonment.

Holder called for the government to ratify Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, which asserts rights to access environmental information and urges public participation in decision-making processes and access to justice on environmental issues.

“In the absence of the Freedom of Information Act, I do not know what considerations are given to political parties but the silence on a lot of environmental issues is deafening in this country,” he said.

“There are people flouting the Returnable Containers Act, there are packages coming into this country – be it petroleum-based plastics that contain things like ketchup. Landfilling is costly and the Mangrove Landfill is near its capacity and ever so often we have a fire that costs millions to put out. What about methane gas? There are clouds of methane gas that landfills give off that are harmful. People need to be held accountable as it relates to their environmental stewardship.”

The Control of Disposable Plastics Act states: “With effect from the 1st day of April, 2019 no person shall import single-use plastic containers; single-use plastic cutlery. With effect from the 1st day of July, 2019 no person shall distribute, offer for sale, sell or use single-use plastic containers; single-use plastic cutlery.”

The legislation defines single-use plastic containers as “any of the following disposable containers made of plastic or polystyrene: cups; food containers; egg trays; plates; or polystyrene containers used in the culinary retail industry.”

However, the legislation allows exemptions for certain plastic bags, wraps and polystyrene containers to be manufactured, imported, distributed and sold, such as for medical uses, agricultural storage, food preservation and some meat packaging.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb