The French Decree No. 2023-478 of June 20, 2023, relating to the obligation to present for sale unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables without packaging made wholly or partly of plastic has been published on the 21st of June and enters into force on the 1st of July 2023.
It applies to fresh fruits and vegetables sold in retail businesses specializing in selling fruit and vegetables in stores, stalls and markets. It includes exemption from the ban for 29 fruits and vegetables, as well as for ripe fruit (“sold to the final consumer when fully ripe”) and sprouted seeds.
For the products to which the ban applies, the decree specifies that packaging made entirely or partly of plastic material is authorized until December 31, 2023, in order to allow the disposal of packaging stocks.
Note, It follows the cancellation of the first Decree n° 2021-1318 published in October 2021 which provided for a gradual reduction in the list of fruits and vegetables authorized for sale in plastic packaging.
