Another supermarket chain makes controversial change to meat packaging after Sainsbury’s fury

ANOTHER major supermarket has made a big change to meat packaging.

Co-op will be vacuum packing all of its beef mince products.

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It said it is doing so in an attempt to reduce plastic and minimise food waste.

The change has already begun but will be rolled out across all stores this week.

The amount of meat in each packet will still stay the same so shoppers won't be missing out.

Co-op has more than 2,5000 supermarkets across the UK.

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On top of that, Nisa Local will also be vacuum-packing some of its meat this week.

The change will affect 11 meat Co-op meat products, these are:

• Co-op 5% Fat British Lean Beef Steak Mince - £4.50, 500G
• Co-op 5% Fat Scottish Lean Beef Steak Mince - £4.50, 500G
• Co-op British Beef Mince 12% Fat - £3.35, 450G
• Co-op Honest Value British 20% Fat Beef Mince - 500G
• Co-op Irresistible Aberdeen Angus Fresh Minced Beef - 500G
• Co-op Irresistible Hereford 5% Fat Mince - £4.25, 450G
• Co-op Irresistible Hereford Beef Mince - £5.35, 500G
• Co-op Scottish Beef Mince 12% Fat - £3.35, 450G
• Co-op Welsh 5% Fat Beef Mince - £4.50, 500G
• Co-op Welsh Beef Mince 12% Fat - £3.35, 450G
• Co-op 20% Fat British Lean Beef Steak Mince - £3.75 (Nisa only)

A spokesperson for Co-op said: “We are pleased to introduce new recyclable vacuum packaging on our 100% British mince, which ensures great quality British meat, increases shelf life to help minimise food waste, and helps save over 138 tonnes of plastic each year.”

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The change comes after Sainsbury's revealed it would be vacuum-packing all of its beef mince products in February.

In April, it then removed single-use plastic trays from its whole chicken range.

But shoppers were unhappy with the move and slammed the change, complaining that now the meat sticks together in a lump.

In a review on the Sainsbury's website, one customer said that it was "not mince at all now" and that it "comes apart in lumps".

Another complained: "Its a sticky lump of goo, all the texture gone in the vacuum."

A third chimed in: "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."

Other supermarkets have made changes recently in a bid to cut costs and be more environmentally friendly.

Posh shop Waitrose ditched its red, blue and green milk caps over the summer.

While Aldi has been trialling the switch since August, ditching its coloured caps.

Fellow discounter Lidl followed suit in October, bringing in the change permanently.

Co-op removed all coloured milk bottle lids from its shelves in November in favour of clear caps.

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Over 300 fruit and veg products no longer have best before dates on them at Marks & Spencer.

And Asda ditched the dates from almost 250 of its fresh fruit and vegetable products last September.

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