UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has replaced its own-brand mince beef product with vacuum packaging, and shoppers are slamming the controversial new move.
Sainsbury’s announced that it would be removing traditional plastic tray packaging across its entire beef mince range in February. Its vacuum-packed alternative uses a minimum of 55% less plastic, forming part of the supermarket’s wider goal of halving plastic packaging in its Own Brand range by 2025.
Now, Sainsbury’s shoppers have taken to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction, with one customer describing the change as “stupid”, “pointless” and “greenwashing.”
“You’ve got rid of the 55% that’s actually recyclable, the cost to the consumer has remained the same, and despite your claims the quality IS worse because the vacuum-packed beef doesn’t brown properly”, they tweeted.
One customer review expressed that the new packaging was difficult to use, airing concerns about accessibility. “Which able bodied packaging genius came up with the new Sainsbury’s mince beef packaging?”, they asked, adding that it took two knives and one pair of scissors to retrieve the product.
However, one fan described the change as “a welcomed move by Sainsbury’s and anyone else that introduces it.” Another remarked that the product “cooks just fine” despite complaints that it now comes out of the packet in “one solid lump.”
Ahead of the move, Sainsbury’s confirmed that the new packaging would contain the same amount of beef mince in a “smaller size” to help “customers use their freezer and fridge space more efficiently by taking up less space.”
“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”, Claire Hughes, Director of Product and Innovation at Sainsbury’s, said ahead of the change.
“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.”
The supermarket recently announced the removal of single-use plastic lids across many of its own-brand dairy products, including yoghurt, cream and custard, a move it anticipates will save 71 million pieces of plastic each year. In September 2022, it also reintroduced its own-brand coffee pod range as fully recyclable.
