Lidl next to vac pack mince despite Sainsbury’s ‘mush’ complaints
Lidl is the latest supermarket to announce it will start vac-packing mince to use less plastic and double its shelf life.
Sainsbury’s hit the headlines when it made the same switch, and some shoppers complained it turned the meat to mush.
An anti-plastic group criticised the move from hard plastic trays to soft film, saying this would not go in most household recycling collections.
Lidl said its new vac packs could be taken to recycling collection points.
It said the packaging would use 63% less plastic and extend the mince’s shelf life from eight to 16 days. The “easy peel film” also meant customers “don’t have to touch the raw meat”, it said.
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of campaign group A Plastic Planet, said meat-soiled soft plastics were “never going to be recycled into anything useful.” She said she thought most people would put them into general waste rather than taking them to recycling points.
Ms Sutherland added: “When so many other natural materials exist, it is inexcusable to keep pushing plastic and retailers need to seriously consider the reputational risks.”
By Jennifer Meierhans | BBC News
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