— By Eric Culp — 

The UK government plans to begin consultations about stopping the use of single-serving sachets for condiments such as ketchup, according to a note from an official at the country’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Responding to a written question, Minister of State Emma Hardy said, “The EU’s ban on the sale or provision of single-serving sachets or containers of ketchup, mayonnaise, sugar, salt, oil and vinegar will apply in Northern Ireland under the Winsor framework but will not apply in the rest of the UK under EU-reset. A consultation regarding UK alignment is being planned.”

Use of the sachets in the EU is set to end in hotels, restaurants, and cafes for onsite consumption in 2030 as part of the trading bloc’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). In this case, Northern Ireland is part of that ban due to 2023’s Windsor Agreement between Brussels and London following Brexit.

A previous government under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in 2023 that it was considering a ban on sachets. Critics complain that the products often end up in landfills or in wastewater systems.