I live in Europe but sometimes shop at Asian supermarkets here. One of the things I notice with almost everything I buy there is that plastic packaging feels a lot thicker than that on European products. Is there a rational reason for this? Are plastics simply cheaper? Or do people worry more that products might spoil? Are these different types of plastics?
No, plastic wrapping is just as big in Asia. There’s a cultural belief that plastic = processed = sanitary/refined.
Inside Japan’s plastic wrapping obsession | CNN (pardon the sensationalist headline.)