AIBU?
To not buy mince in Sainsbury's
Abccde · 09/03/2023 19:03
1st world problems I know 🤣
But yuck - I wouldn't feed it to a dog.
The new vacuum pac might not affect the taste (I won't be finding out for a long time) but it certainly looks absolutely disgusting.
And it wasn't this colour in store - they were all horrible and brown! 🤢🤮
Am I being unreasonable?
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Towcester · 09/03/2023 21:38
Logicoutofthewindow · 09/03/2023 21:33
Sounds reasonable. The environment, saving space and lasting longer. Ah, but it's not in a pretty little packet.... 😯
Towcester · 09/03/2023 21:14
I attended one of those paid research focus groups and it turned out it was about mince being packaged in this way. At first, most said they wouldnt buy it but by the end and after an hour of discussion most were open to it mainly due to: environmental reasons, taking up less space in the freezer and possibly vaccum packed meaning it stays fresher longer.
Yeah, i think some also had an issue with how you get into it i.e. stab it with a knife and it goes everywhere where as the normal packets are sturdier and a bit easier to remove the film without issues. I said older people might struggle with it. Also we agreed it might not sit/stack neatly on the supermarket shelf so would look really unnapealing which this thread kind of confirms.
AnnaBegins · 09/03/2023 21:52
Fancysauce · 09/03/2023 21:12
What are you doing to your mince that it gets spread across your entire kitchen?! The mind boggles!
AnnaBegins · 09/03/2023 20:06
Totally agree, now it's in non recyclable soft plastic when before at least I could recycle the tray, I can't open it without it spilling everywhere so more work to clean the whole kitchen, and it's one lump rather than mince, so no longer serves the same purpose. And the brown colour worries me, also I know vacuum packed food has an initial smell on opening but it's hard to know if the smell is just that or if it's truly off (well within use by date).
One key principle in making packaging more eco friendly is thinking about the whole lifecycle. Yes this packaging might be marginally lighter for transport, but it's less recyclable, and if people use kitchen roll to mop up the mess then that's more landfill, and if customers think the meat is off when it isn't, and bin it, that's unnecessary food waste.
I have a very small kitchen 
Puppers · 09/03/2023 21:53
Abccde · 09/03/2023 20:17
I think people can often be deceived by packaging and think its better for the environment than it actually is.
Tomatoes moving from tin to a tetra pac style packaging is a perfect example.
There was a sign on the shelf in my local store that said exactly how much plastic consumption was reduced with the new packaging. The information is readily available.
It's a great shame that grown ups can't make responsible decisions as consumers and instead need things to look pretty. Excessive packaging that they prefer aesthetically, shunning wonky veg etc. So much unnecessary waste.
RE the colour of the meat, brown does not necessarily signify that it's gone bad; just that it's oxidised. I've never bought meat from Sainsbury's that's gone bad so I would have no reason to suspect that the colour would be down to anything other than normal oxidisation.
mrsm43s · 09/03/2023 22:00
I had some of this delivered in my last Sainsbury's delivery
The cons:
It's hard to break up, and it definitely took me longer chopping into it with a spatula in the pan.
The neutrals:
It tasted and looked exactly the same once cooked.
It cost the same.
The pros:
I'm going to have rocking arm muscles if I use it a couple of times a week.
Saves space in the freezer and lovely and easy to stack neatly.
Saves on plastic wastage.
Not packed in gases.
All in all its a win for me.
PickleThePenguin · 09/03/2023 22:05
My partner used some earlier in the week. He said it was fine. Easier to get out of the pack than normal, no problem to cook and the meal he cooked tasted great.
And less packaging. It's a winner for us. (Not bothered by the colour, I have a nose to tell if it's gone off!)
TheOldLadyOfThreadneedleStreet · 09/03/2023 22:34
I was really pleased when I saw the new packaging, 55% less plastic and a smaller pack so easier to store. And the product was obviously the same as before when I used it. I’m hoping Sainsburys will slowly extend this type of packaging to other products.
MissVantaBlack · 09/03/2023 23:02
I worry about food with a higher fat content, such as cheese and mince, being shrink-wrapped in plastic. I don't think food packaging has been well researched and I suspect that when these types of foods are in sustained close contact with soft plastic, plasticisers and other undesirable chemicals leach into the food.
Allywill · 09/03/2023 23:31
Arapawa · 09/03/2023 23:23
Go to your butcher and buy some steak. Get fatty edges trimmed off and get him/her to mince it for you. That's the best way to buy mince.
That is exactly what I do. Grass fed beef steak minced. You can even take a storage container with you if you don’t want him to wrap it - I don’t mind as he uses old fashioned brown paper not plastic.
MakingTheVeganYorkshirePud · 09/03/2023 23:40
@mrsm43s nothing sanctimonious about stating facts. OP thought her mince looked disgusting in the new packaging (don't know how you make dead muscles and fat look aesthetic), people started talking about packaging. People avoid talking about what it actually was. Nothing sanctimonious, just facts.
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