Will consumers abandon chewing gum once they know it contains plastic?

So, we’ve been filling our gobs with plastic. Chewing gum, it turns out, contains that most environmentally unfriendly material - which is why Iceland has introduced Simply Gum. The plastic-free confectionery is biodegradable and the first of its kind in a UK supermarket.

If Iceland is to believed, 85% of people don’t know gum is made from synthetic polymers and plasticisers. Or, rather, they didn’t. Now the word’s out, will it lead to a drop in consumption of regular, non-biodegradable gum, hitting the likes of Wrigley in the pocket?

Quite possibly, if recent alterations in behaviour are anything to go by. Eco-minded folk have been quick to turn their backs on disposable coffee cups and the like, and the government has been similarly swift to curb products such as plastic straws.

As for suppliers… well, big brands like Wrigley move only when consumer pressure is significantly and sustainably applied.

Nevertheless, don’t rule out a dramatic shift in chewing gum’s fortune, especially given the £60m cost to councils of clearing up carelessly disposed wads of the stuff.