'It's a sticky lump of goo': The Sainsbury's meat…

'It's a sticky lump of goo': The Sainsbury's meat packaging which is making some people feel ill just looking at it

Sainsbury's has tried to reduce the volume of plastic packaging for beef mince but not everyone is convinced and shoppers say it looks like dog food. Others have gone so far as to compare it to a "sticky lump of goo".

The new vacuum-packed mince was introduced earlier this year in a first for UK supermarkets. Sainsbury's said the move to swap its traditional, plastic tray packaging for a new vacuum-packed alternative across its beef mince range would save 450 tonnes of plastic each year.

While the supermarket giant said the packaging kept the meat fresh by removing all oxygen which typically caused a product to eventually spoil, shoppers are nonplussed. Some have described it as "inappropriate", while others said it had put them off their food entirely. You can get more consumer news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

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."

Over on Mumsnet, people were equally critical. One posted: "1st world problems I know. But yuck - I wouldn't feed it to a dog. The new vacuum pac might not affect the taste (I won't be finding out for a long time) but it certainly looks absolutely disgusting."

Someone replied in agreement and said: "I bought some the other day. Another lady and me were laughing about it in the shop saying how vile it looked. But it tasted fine and looked the same once I'd cooked it up. Have to agree though, it looks like dog food in the new packaging."

Others were slightly more supportive of Sainsbury's eco-move and said: "It's a way to use less plastic packaging. I'm sure you know what mince looks like. Complete nonsense to reject it on the appearance of it."

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% 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.”