A 11 segments of the packaging industry, including food packaging, face environmental issues. For example, fast-food chains are under pressure to reduce the amount of solid waste they generate and Maine has banned fruit drinks in aseptic packages (juice boxes). Yet, packaging is integral to today's life style (see box, "A Country Without Food Packaging"). Nowhere would the loss of modern packaging be more quickly felt than in the food processing and distribution system. In underdeveloped countries where packaging is minimal or nonexistent, food losses of 30-50 percent are not uncommon. In the United States, packaged food losses are less than 3 percent, while fresh food losses are 10 to 15 percent. Reduced food losses lower food costs. Food packaging allows consumers to enjoy a variety of foods yeararound, not just during local harvest seasons. Also, food packaging can decrease rather than increase solid waste generation. These benefits of packaging come from a $70-billion-a-year industry, of which approximately 70 percent is used for food and beverages. On average, food packaging costs about 9 percent of the retail price of food products.