Sainsbury’s is swapping traditional, plastic tray packaging for a new vacuum-packed alternative across its entire fresh lamb mince range,
The supermarket-first will result in a minimum 65% reduction in plastic per product, saving 26 tonnes of plastic annually. It follows the roll-out of the same packaging for minced beef.
The lamb mince products will be vacuum-packed, removing all oxygen which typically causes a product to spoil more quickly, increasing the life of the current product and also allowing the product to last better in the freezer. The new packaging will contain the same amount of lamb mince and feature QR codes to provide advice on how to cook the mince.
Richard Crampton, Director of Fresh Food at Sainsbury’s, said: “We know customers want us to reduce plastic packaging and that’s why we’re committed to making bold changes which benefit the environment as well as helping customers to reduce plastic waste at home. Once again, we’re the first major supermarket to switch to vacuum packed packaging on a popular product that our customers buy week in, week out. This change more than halves the plastic used in our lamb mince range.”
The new packaging will be recyclable in-store at supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s flexible plastic recycling collection points available in all of its supermarkets.
The move is the latest in a string of changes made by the retailer in a bid to halve its use of own-brand plastic packaging by 2025.
