Sainsbury’s packaging branded ‘inappropriate’ as shoppers slam change

Shoppers have hit out at Sainsbury’s after the supermarket made a change to its packaging of some beef mince that affects all stores.

The new “inappropriate” packaging has upset some customers who say the different approach has affected the product.

The retailer has ditched plastic packaging for some of its minced beef products in a bid to help the environment.

Now the beef mince is sold in tight, vacuum-packed packaging, reports Manchester Evening News.

The move has affected its beef mince range and saved a massive 450 tonnes of plastic annually, Sainsbury’s says.

It is a first for a UK supermarket and will result in a minimum 55 per cent reduction in plastic per product.

The eco-move comes as recent environmental reports have been dire reading and one, towards the end of last year, warned that the UK was close to an “irreversible” climate breakdown.

Meanwhile, more recently, the United Nations chief called on polluting developed nations like the UK to “fast forward” net zero targets by a decade to 2040 – warning the “climate time bomb is ticking”.

But one shopper complained the new mince packaging meant the food was “not mince at all now”.

They moaned that it “comes apart in lumps” in a review on the grocer’s website.

Another said: “It’s a sticky lump of goo, all the texture gone in the vacuum.

“The new packaging is inappropriate for a freeflow minced beef product.

“The product has now been destroyed and is now a slab of compressed meat,” claimed a third.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We are always looking for new ways to innovate packaging to meet our ambitious plastic reduction targets.

“Our new vacuum-packed beef mince packaging uses 55 per cent less plastic and saves over 450 tonnes of plastic a year, without impacting taste or quality.”

Claire Hughes, Director of Product and Innovation at Sainsbury’s, said earlier this year: “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.”