{"id":30229,"date":"2023-03-28T09:37:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T13:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/?p=30229"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:07:09","slug":"canada-plastics-ban-met-with-confusion-hesitation-by-foodservice-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/canada-plastics-ban-met-with-confusion-hesitation-by-foodservice-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Plastics Ban Met With Confusion, Hesitation by Foodservice Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Foodservice Industry Leaders Consider Ban Just Another Blow in Wake of Pandemic, Labour Shortage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An impending plastics ban in Canada has foodservice operators feeling the pinch as the deadline to replace single-use items with sustainable inventory nears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ban came into effect in Dec. 2022, and the sale of those items will be prohibited as of Dec. 2023 to provide businesses in Canada enough time to transition and to deplete existing inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barry Fraser, a non-food product specialist based in Eastern Canada, <\/strong>works closely with foodservice operators who have voiced their frustration about the restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of them are confused about what they can and can\u2019t use,\u201d Fraser said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recently held a roundtable with about 40 customers to help educate them on the restrictions. There were a lot of questions regarding what they can and cannot use, Fraser said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, restaurants can\u2019t use certain containers, but grocery stores can,\u201d he said. \u201cRestaurants have further limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ban will cover items like checkout bags, cutlery, straws, and food-service ware made from or containing plastics that are hard to recycle, with a few exceptions that meet healthcare industry requirements. Single-use plastics make up most of the plastic waste found on Canadian shorelines. Up to 15 billion plastic checkout bags are used each year and approximately 16 million straws are used every day, according to CNBC. A ban on plastic ring carriers will begin in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ban Viewed as Just Another Obstacle for Restaurant Operators<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First the pandemic, then the labour shortage and now the ban. That\u2019s what foodservice operators have been up against in the last few years, Fraser said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur industry is extremely vulnerable right now. They just went through the worst time in their history,\u201d he said, citing the pandemic. \u201cLabour is a huge problem here too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restaurant Canada, a national, non-profit association representing the foodservice industry, echoed that in a recently published article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSingle-use items pose a unique challenge for foodservice operators, as Canadians are increasingly turning to delivery and takeout,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article indicated that the industry will take an estimated 125 percent increase in costs due to the ban, and the group feels there are not enough sustainable alternatives available.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But new products, including Re.Source, are being introduced to the market all the time, Fraser said. And to guard against future issues, he suggests they \u201cadapt to the ban now, and get started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey need to let their customers know they are making the effort to do the right thing and hang that flag high,\u201d he said. \u201cThey need to look at the perception from their customer base. You don\u2019t want someone seeing that you have the wrong plastic product. It will take just one person to spread that message.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Re.Source: A Safe, Sustainable Solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

MacKenzie Cantu, associate category manager of North American Disposable Packaging and Serviceware, said even though the majority of restaurant operators were aware of the impending ban, the change still took some by surprise.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though the communication has been sent out in multiple ways, it still feels new to them. Now that it\u2019s actually happening and banned items are depleting, they\u2019re starting to hit the panic button,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cantu said operators should consider Re.Source, which has a number of \u201csuitable substitutions\u201d readily available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that we are coming out with Re.Source at this time of the ban will be helpful to some operators,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some operators aren\u2019t exactly rushing to make the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Woudwyk, category specialist in North American Packaging and Serviceware Disposables, said change is hard, but necessary to stay relevant in their industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCustomers don\u2019t want to change how their packaging works,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they need to make the change sooner than later. We are running out of prohibited products and it\u2019s going to hit them in the face if we are out of their regular product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fraser said Re.Source offers \u201ctried and true\u201d products that are \u201cright for the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRe.Source has a proper message,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we have will outlast the next ban.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Foodservice Industry Leaders Consider Ban Just Another Blow in Wake of Pandemic, Labour Shortage An impending plastics ban in Canada has foodservice operators feeling the pinch as the deadline to replace single-use items with sustainable inventory nears. The ban came into effect in Dec. 2022, and the sale of those items will be prohibited as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":30661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,123,112,69,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCanada Plastics Ban Met With Confusion, Hesitation by Foodservice Industry | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/canada-plastics-ban-met-with-confusion-hesitation-by-foodservice-industry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada Plastics Ban Met With Confusion, Hesitation by Foodservice Industry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Foodservice Industry Leaders Consider Ban Just Another Blow in Wake of Pandemic, Labour Shortage An impending plastics ban in Canada has foodservice operators feeling the pinch as the deadline to replace single-use items with sustainable inventory nears. 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