Dressing a salad with a packet of oil, adding ketchup to some potatoes or sweetening coffee with an individual packet of sugar is an almost automatic gesture in bars and restaurants. So everyday that it is difficult to imagine it any other way. However, the European Union has already set a date for this change: starting in January 2030, single-dose sachets of sauces, salt, sugar and oil will disappear from bars and restaurants.
The decision does not come from one day to the next. It is part of a much broader regulatory reform that seeks to reduce waste, especially plastic, and change consumption habits considered unsustainable. The impact will be notable in the hospitality industry, but it also opens the door to new ways of serving and competing.
Goodbye to ketchup, mayonnaise and oil packets on the table: What exactly has the European Union decided?
The legal basis for this change is Regulation (EU) 2025/40, known as PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). For the first time, European regulations are not limited to recommending, but directly prohibiting certain packaging formats in hospitality and tourism.
Article 25.1 of the regulation establishes that, from January 2030, single-dose containers for food, cosmetics and hygiene products will be prohibited when consumption is in the room. This includes individual sachets of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, sugar, oil or milk for coffee, as long as they are made of single-use plastic.
Important nuance: it is not the product that is prohibited, but the format. The customer will still be able to use salt, oil or sauces, but no longer in those small disposable containers that are thrown away after a single use. Additionally, paper sachets, like traditional sugar sachets, do not fall under this restriction.
A progressive calendar so that the hospitality industry adapts without collapsing the service
Although the most striking headline points to 2030, the change will be gradual. The EU has designed a staggered calendar so that the sector can adapt smoothly.
The first milestone comes in August 2026, when the use of single-use plastic containers for condiments and similar products in bars, restaurants and hotels will be limited. It will be the visible beginning of change.
In January 2030, the ban will be extended to all single-dose packaging of food, cosmetics and hygiene products. And in February 2032, the European Commission will evaluate the environmental and health impact of the measure to decide possible adjustments.
There are clear exceptions: takeaway food, health or care centers and other contexts where individual hygiene is a priority are outside the norm. The idea is not to eliminate single doses from the face of the Earth, but to remove them from routine consumption at the table.
What changes in bars, restaurants and hotels? From individual sachet to shared dispenser
The elimination of single doses affects several fronts of the hospitality business. In restaurants and cafes, sachets of sugar, butter, jam or sauces must be replaced by collective jars, oil jugs, grinders or refillable dispensers that guarantee hygiene and control.
In hotels, the change will be even more visible: the classic mini bottles of gel and shampoo will disappear to make way for fixed, refillable dispensers, a solution that many chains have already implemented due to costs and sustainability.
Service in the room will also be affected: single-use glasses, plates and cutlery will have to be replaced with reusable options, except in very specific cases. For many businesses, this involves investment, logistical adjustments and staff training. However, it also implies an opportunity to improve the perception of quality.
Spain has a small margin: the role of certified compostable plastic
In the Spanish case, Law 7/2022 introduces an important transitional route. Allows the use of single-dose containers made from certified compostable plastic, as long as they meet strict compostability and waste management standards.
It is not a definitive or unlimited solution, but it is a temporary cushion for bars and restaurants to maintain part of their operations while more stable alternatives are developed. Of course, not just any “green” material is worth it: certification will be key.
How to turn the end of single doses into a competitive advantage?
Although the sector has received the news with mixed reactions, many agree that the change can become an opportunity if managed well. Refillable dispensing systems reduce waste and, in the medium term, reduce costs. Compostable packaging allows you to maintain a certain comfort without generating persistent waste.
Furthermore, the sustainable brand image weighs more and more in the customer’s decision. Showing environmental commitment is no longer a detail: it is an added value. It would not be the first time that the hospitality industry adapts. It happened with non-refillable oil containers and, after the initial controversy, the sector found creative solutions.
The message from the EU is clear: single-dose sachets have an expiration date on the tables. The way in which each business faces this change will make the difference between experiencing it as an imposition… or as an opportunity to modernize and differentiate itself.
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