Sainsbury’s plastic-saving meat packaging attracts ‘mush’ complaints

New plastic-saving meat packaging at Sainsbury’s has attracted complaints from shoppers that it has turned mince to “mush”.

The supermarket previously packaged mince in a plastic tray covered with film but announced in February it was becoming the first grocer to vacuum pack all beef to save 450 tonnes of plastic a year.

However the move has not gone down well with all shoppers, with some branding the meat “unappetising” and “disgusting” and resembling “someone’s kidney”.

A Sainsbury’s shopper tweeted that he was “not a fan of the new Sainsbury’s beef mince packaging,” adding: “Feels very medical – like I’ve just bought someone’s kidney to cook at home.”

Other online reviews read: “The new packaging is awful, it turns the mince into mush.

“It’s very hard to cook and smells off, looks very unappetising. Would not recommend.”

Steve Dresser, from retail consultancy Grocery Insight said: “It’s fair to say the change has not been well received, at all.”

In February, Sainsbury’s said the vacuum-packed meat would remain fresher as a result of removing all oxygen and take up less space in fridges and freezers despite containing the same amount of mince as before.

Richard Crampton, director of fresh food at Sainsbury’s, said the supermarket is committed to "bold changes."

“We know customers expect us to reduce plastic packaging and we are committed to making bold changes for our customers and the environment," he said.

“This small change makes a big difference, more than halving the plastic used in our beef mince range and also reducing food waste.

“We are always listening to feedback and can see lots of our customers are already getting used to the change.”

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