Sainsbury’s has announced it is removing traditional plastic tray packaging across its entire beef mince range and replacing it with a vacuum-packed alternative, which the supermarket says uses a minimum of 55% less plastic.
The move is the latest in a series of initiatives from the retailer that aims to halve its use of plastic packaging in Own Brand products by 2025.
The change will be across all Sainsbury’s beef mince products and customers will be able to purchase beef mince in the revamped packaging both in-store and online from today (23 February).
The beef mince products will be vacuum-packed for freshness by removing all oxygen which typically causes a product to eventually spoil. Sainsbury’s says the new packaging will contain the same amount of beef mince but is smaller in size to help customers to use their freezer and fridge space more efficiently.
This is the latest in a long line of changes we have pioneered in the space working collaboratively with our suppliers.
Commenting on the announcement, Claire Hughes, Director of Product and Innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “We know our customers expect us to be reducing the use of plastic across our products and we’re constantly looking for new ways to innovate to meet our Plan for Better plastic reduction targets.
“We strive to be bold in the changes we are making, which is why we’re pleased to be the first UK retailer to vacuum pack all our beef mince range without impacting the quantity or great quality of product that our customers expect.
“This is the latest in a long line of changes we have pioneered in the space working collaboratively with our suppliers, and customers can expect much more to come from Sainsbury’s.”
However, the announcement has drawn criticism, with Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet saying there is more to it than meets the eye.
“While there will be a saving in the weight of plastic used, switching to flexible plastics over rigid ones is no more ‘green’ than changing from a petrol to a diesel vehicle.
Switching to flexible plastics over rigid ones is no more ‘green’ than changing from a petrol to a diesel vehicle.
“Flexible plastics are almost impossible to recycle, especially where they are food contaminated. The old, rigid plastic packaging would at least have gone into recycling, however limited the UK’s systems are. The new vacuum packs will instead be thrown into general waste and end up incineration.
“The big brands really need to wean themselves off single-use materials altogether, offering produce in reusable packaging instead. Human beings have been eating mince much longer than they have relied on single-use plastic to package it.”