Individually Packed Dry Fruit - Wasteful or otherwise?

For all those dry fruit connoisseurs who love prunes (dried plums), here is some food for thought!

nutsonline-com

Bowel movement and overall health are a great argument when it comes to buying prunes in plastic bags. 

or grabbing a bottle or two of prune juice....

 (sunsweet website)

Manufacturers are already adding to the plastic clutter and the ocean patch, and have every reason to rethink their packing methods. And as if existing problems weren't enough, a genius marketing strategy session later, Sunsweet launched its individually wrapped prunes.


 Each prune individually wrapped in plastic...:-(

And then put them in another HDPE container..

Seriously!, did we need more plastic in the world? All in the name of a little of convenience!.. It is sadly amazing to see that consumers do not assess the impact of their choices on the planet? The nutritional information provided on their website, mentions eating "about 4 prunes" to equal one serving.

My question - why not package them in packs of four then? Back to the basic question - WHY the Wrapping in the first place. One logical explanation could be (probably) - that the company has to come up with new shenanigans to appeal to consumers and appear dynamic by showing that they are constantly reinventing themselves. Agreed. As much as that intention is appreciated, individual wrapping is a serious mistake and a definite waste of resources. On a lighter note! imagine having to eat more than one and all the packaging one has to peel..lol...hmm..seems like it is the company's trick for portion control!!! :-)

Given the fact that Sunsweet controls over 2/3rd of the prunes market in the US, higher sales figures for the single-wraps means an avoidable 3 sq inches of plastic wrap in the trash can (for every piece consumed). Isn't it time we as consumers took action and made informed choices?.

Any argument for and against this idea are pleasantly welcome.

(Sunsweet is a US based food and beverage manufacturer specializing in packed dry fruit and juice).