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France has become the first country to ban all plastic cups, plates and cutlery in a law that will take full effect in 2020.

The measure was passed last month, but businesses have until 2020 to fully comply, according to the Associated Press.

All disposable dishes in France will instead have to be made from biologically sourced materials and the products must be able to be composted.

BioPak founder and director Richard Fine told PKN Packaging News the news was "fantastic".

"The rest of the world should start adopting the same measures," he said.

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"There's no reason we have to use plastic single-use items.

"Their environmental cost is mounting up and now that we have more bioplastics players coming on board consumers can make choices that will not pollute the environment."

Biopak offsets all the carbon emissions associated with the production, transport and disposal of its sustainable, plant-based packaging.

France banned plastic bags in July, a move other countries have also made, but France is the first to extend these types of bans to plastic cutlery and dishes.

France has been a leader on climate change and hosted the Paris Climate Change Conference in 2015.

The country's newest ban has attracted criticism from packaging industry lobbyists, who say that the ban violates European Union rules on the free movement of goods, the AP says.

Food & Drink Business

Plans for the Turbine food and beverage pilot precinct on the Sunshine Coast have collapsed after the project failed to secure sufficient commercial support to meet key funding milestones.

Tasmanian agribusiness TasFoods has entered voluntary administration after failing to secure a buyer for its Nichols Poultry business. Partners from KPMG Australia – Tim Mableson, David Hardy and Emily Seeckts – have been appointed as joint and several voluntary administrators to the group.

Entries for the 2026 Hive Awards are open, but the clock is ticking, with just 1 day left to get your entries in – the closing date is 13 March! There are nine awards up for grabs, with three new categories this year – Best New Food Product, Best New Beverage, and Best NPD. Go, go, go!