The Minnesota State Fair Is Getting Rid Of Its Injectable Donuts After Backlash Over Plastic Syringes
The Minnesota State Fair is nixing injectable donuts from the menu. The pastries, which come with plastic syringes and Bavarian cream, chocolate custard, and lingonberry jam for filling, have come under fire after a Change.org petition urged organizers to ditch the trend, largely due to waste concern.
"The waste generated (three syringes times thousands and thousands of orders) over the 10 day fair run is absurd," petition creator Jason Holtz wrote online. "In addition, the image conveyed by syringes being cool and containing treats, not to mention being littered around the ground is not one we should be wanting to promote."
His solution? "Fill them for us from a big dispenser that's not going to last centuries in the ocean or landfill."
The Wingwalker Donut Flight was created by The Hangar, a food vendor serving craft beers and classic fair grub, including pulled pork sandwiches and smoked turkey legs. The donuts would have been available between August 22 and early September.
The Minnesota State Fair released a statement not long after the petition went live recognizing the problem and vowing to remove the donuts from menus. As an alternative, customers can "dunk" their donuts in the three provided fillings. "We understand the impact the food packaging has on the environment, and The Hangar, along with the fair, has decided that plastic syringes will not be used as part of the Wingwalker Donut Flight," a spokesperson said in a statement.
@mnstatefair Please do not allow The Hangar to waste plastic and glorify syringes with their Wingwalker Donut Flight
— Laura Justin (@ltsarc) July 11, 2019
Following the fair's announcement, Holtz updated followers, calling it "proof that speaking up works." They've also replaced food containers with "compostable ware" and added wood utensils. "When you see something, say something," he added.
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