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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ibuymeownflowers · 28/03/2023 06:22
Ttwinkletoes · 28/03/2023 05:00
I think it’s cos the plastic single use containers that are used for meat and veg contain CO2 to preserve them and since gas prices went up (which is used for CO2 production) is expensive so it’s cheaper to seal the pack with no air or CO2.
CO2 is injected into the packaging of perishable foods such as meat and salads to inhibit the growth of bacteria. It typically prolongs the shelf life of products such as beef steak by around five days.
Gosh am I the only one on MN that knows this?
No
Bigmarj73 · 29/03/2023 13:49
Bought this mince it came out like some of my packets of cat food and was very difficult to break down on cooking. It didn't taste the same and I will not be using it again. There are no options in supermarkets to buy from meat counters except in some Waitrose stores. Another case of taking away human option of service.
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 13:55
One doesn't need to. I bought far more pleasant mince from Tescos.
It's easy to dismiss this and ay 'go to a butcher' but those aren't most people's shopping habits who want a one stop shop, or for whom that is all that is available. Sainsburys has lost my custom (at least in mince week!) and I cannot be alone. Most Sainsburys no longer have meat counters where your meat could have been minced for you either.
BlackForestCake · 29/03/2023 14:02
PriscillaQueenOfThePudding · 14/03/2023 21:50
Haven’t read the full thread. Someone I was at uni with about 10 years ago did their dissertation on minced beef and found E. coli in the Sainsburys mince.
Yes, mince is inherently slightly higher risk than other meat because as soon as you mince it you are distributing all the bacteria that was on the surface all through the mixture.
That's why it's safe to eat rare steak but you need to cook mince thoroughly.
ThereIbledit · 29/03/2023 14:14
Haven’t read the full thread. Someone I was at uni with about 10 years ago did their dissertation on minced beef and found E. coli in the Sainsburys mince.
It's really common to find all sorts of nasties on the surface of all forms of raw meat. That's why it need to be cooked or preserved in another way that kills that stuff, like salted, dehydrated or smoked.
I'm disappointed to read that a supermarket making a small but important change towards using less plastic has attracted the negative comments I am seeing here. We all desperately need to use less plastic.
We could all do with understanding what other posters have said about food spoilage, oxidisation (and CO2 being used in all sorts of food packaging - why do you think your bags of lettuce are inflated and go off quicker once opened??) and food safety. You're literally going to cook mince until it's brown anyway, it matters not one bit to it's taste or safety if it isn't pink when you buy it.
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:11
LeevMarie · 28/03/2023 03:55
Dear God, the comments on this. . . The world burns, people starve and the middle classes of the UK go crazy over meat that looks brown (quite possibly because it is . . dead), and 'unappetising'. I'd laugh if it wasn't all so tragic.
I'm vegan, btw, but understand that my lifestyle isn't for everyone. As pps have suggested - go to your butcher, support local businesses and spare a thought for the people (and animals) who don't have the pain of choice.
I. Do. Not. Have. A. Local. Butcher.
I could drive to one but that rather defeats the environmental object.
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:11
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:11
I. Do. Not. Have. A. Local. Butcher.
I could drive to one but that rather defeats the environmental object.
LeevMarie · 28/03/2023 03:55
Dear God, the comments on this. . . The world burns, people starve and the middle classes of the UK go crazy over meat that looks brown (quite possibly because it is . . dead), and 'unappetising'. I'd laugh if it wasn't all so tragic.
I'm vegan, btw, but understand that my lifestyle isn't for everyone. As pps have suggested - go to your butcher, support local businesses and spare a thought for the people (and animals) who don't have the pain of choice.
I have a meat van does that count?
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
Yeah! I use the supermarket but there's a van that goes round selling meat I used once
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:13
It seems to be a MN sin to supermarket shop...
I don't now what a meat van is...is it like an ice cream van for meat?!
No jingly tune though
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:22
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
No jingly tune though
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
Yeah! I use the supermarket but there's a van that goes round selling meat I used once
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:13
It seems to be a MN sin to supermarket shop...
I don't now what a meat van is...is it like an ice cream van for meat?!
Disappointing!
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:26
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:22
Disappointing!
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
No jingly tune though
ibuymeownflowers · 29/03/2023 17:17
Yeah! I use the supermarket but there's a van that goes round selling meat I used once
Piggywaspushed · 29/03/2023 17:13
It seems to be a MN sin to supermarket shop...
I don't now what a meat van is...is it like an ice cream van for meat?!
I guess people would be confused but yes. It just goes to various carparks. Sounds dodgy but it's really clean and refrigerated
CalloohCallayFrabjousDay · 29/03/2023 19:04
Bigmarj73 · 29/03/2023 13:49
Bought this mince it came out like some of my packets of cat food and was very difficult to break down on cooking. It didn't taste the same and I will not be using it again. There are no options in supermarkets to buy from meat counters except in some Waitrose stores. Another case of taking away human option of service.
Yeah I found that it didn't cook the same. It was just in big hard lumps that I couldn't separate. Ended up using the potato masher to make the lumps smaller.
sarahh96 · 01/04/2023 18:30
Having just bought a packet of this I too agree. It looks horrible, doesn't taste the same and you really have to smash it to bits to get it to cook properly.
Luckily, Sainsburys seem to be the only place doing this new packaging. I'll shop elsewhere from now on!
CalloohCallayFrabjousDay · 02/04/2023 23:20
qpmz · 02/04/2023 22:51
Is this debate still going on? Would you really know if someone had cooked a spaghetti bolognaise for you using this mince?
I doubt it but if so have a vege meal instead or carry on using excessive plastic without giving a toss.
Yes you would know. It's really not nice...
I agree that we need to use less plastic, and there are certainly other areas that supermarkets can do this, but to change something that affects the taste and texture of a product isn't acceptable.
Piggywaspushed · 06/04/2023 07:12
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65124883
BBC now reporting. The article contains pictures!
Sainsbury's defends vac-pack mince after complaints
The store printed leaflets after complaints that its new eco-friendly packs turned the meat to mush.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65124883
ibuymeownflowers · 06/04/2023 07:16
Piggywaspushed · 06/04/2023 07:12
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65124883
BBC now reporting. The article contains pictures!
I would agree with that - i had some last week and it was harder to break up and cook
Gooseysgirl · 06/04/2023 09:39
Their efforts to cut plastic use are admirable, but I would rather they focus their efforts on the fruit and veg section which is shocking in its overuse of plastic packaging and is also far less likely to end up in a recycling bin. The vac packed mince is a pain in the arse to cook with (we've used it a few times and having to spend ages breaking it up is driving me nuts) and to be honest I'm just leaving it out of my weekly shop, and buying elsewhere instead.
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