Compostable Foam Packaging - The Best Thing since Sliced Bread

We ordered a food box from The Very Good Butchers. We've been eyeing their products (all plant-based meats) for a while now and finally decided to bite the bullet and give it a go.

They are a local company (Victoria, BC) who started out selling their products at local farmer's markets, but then demand exploded and... they are now a "thing". They even appeared on Dragon's Den and had the Dragon's vying for their business. You don't see that everyday...

Anyhow... our box arrived... and... it has their trademark picture of a little deceased bean on one side of it. Poor little bean... butchered by these callous men with their knives and hatchets. Sigh... better than a butchered lamb, pig, cow or chicken, I say... but that's just me...

I was a little concerned about the packaging of this box. The contents are apparently packed frozen and then the whole thing is shipped via Purolator. Knowing how fast my frozen berries can thaw if I dally at other shops after getting the groceries... I was a bit concerned about how they planned to keep every thing cold during transport.

I know from our dalliance with GoodFood that there are some strange gel cold packs in white plastic that are used to keep things cold. The gel is apparently flushable down the toilet once it's thawed. I still haven't figured out what that's made out of but... I'll trust the reassurance that it is actually flushable. But... cold packs are only useful if the container is insulated. GoodFood used a bunch of waffle cardboard with a silver reflective liner to keep their boxes cold. Fresh Prep actually sends their stuff in reusable insulated carry-bags (kind of like a soft cat carrier, but without the windows).

I was intrigued to learn what The Very Good Butchers would be using and... was a bit surprised at what I found...

Eh? foam packaging in green plastic? What the heck?? I mean, it worked... with three gel freezer packs, everything was nice and frosty cold but... still... foam packaging!?

Except... as I felt the foam stuff, it didn't feel right. It felt kind of crispy and didn't have the right texture for your typical poly-whatever petroleum-based foam packaging. Which, by the way, is not accepted at recycling depots. I should know, I've tried... polystyrene (styrofoam) is accepted... but none of this other poly-packaging material.

Sooo... I emailed the Good Butchers... sorry, The Very Good Butchers... and asked them about the green plastic foam stuff. They replied within the hour and directed me to the Green Cell Foam site. Qu'est-ce que c'est??

Compostable foam padding? What the heck? Dissolvable in water?? What is this sorcery???!!

But it's true... I cut open the green plastic which is apparently recyclable. I'm not entirely happy that there is still plastic in this mix but after researching the foam stuff, I know why a plastic layer is required.

You see that little skinny piece of foam on top of that pile... well, I held it under the faucet and it dissolved into nothingness. I can see how... if the cold packs get any condensation on them... the whole foam packaging could just dissolve within the box if it wasn't protected by something waterproof.

We are going to put these pieces into our compost bin. Apparently it will dissolve within six months, depending on the moisture content of the compost. In our wet climate, I think they'll be gone within a few weeks.

What are they made of? Well the Green Cell Foam site has a gazillion pictures of corn so... yep, it's made from cornstarch. I'm not sure how they do it (trademark secret likely) but... it's a big leap forward from using petroleum based products which can't be recycled and will still be in our landfills 500 years from now (and beyond). This green cell foam has apparently been around for a few years, and I have to say I'm a bit surprised that I've not come across it before. It's cool though and The Very Good Butchers get a green check-mark from me for using this stuff....