Shoppers in Monaco browsing fresh, ready-to-eat food will start noticing a change on shelves from Tuesday, September 1, as new rules banning certain single-use plastic packaging come into force across the Principality.
The products themselves aren’t disappearing, but the packaging around them is shifting. Retailers can no longer use specific single-use plastic wrapping for fresh, ready-to-eat items, a rule that also extends to pre-packaged goods with a use-by date of under three days. The target is packaging designed to last only a matter of hours or days before being thrown away, precisely the kind of short-lived plastic the government has been working to eliminate.
Not all plastic is disappearing from shelves, though. Exceptions remain in place where food safety, preservation or waste prevention genuinely require it: protective coatings that keep food watertight or well-preserved are still permitted, as are plastic containers used for fresh cut fruit.
The change marks the latest step in a broader push by the Prince’s Government to phase out single-use plastic across the Principality. In the run-up to the new rules taking effect, Monaco’s Direction de l’Environnement spent recent weeks briefing affected businesses and helping them prepare, drawing on the Commerces et Restaurants Engagés network to share information and support shops in finding alternative packaging solutions.