To boycott Sainsbury’s for their mince packaging!!

[daydi]

Light hearted (ish) but I shop at Sainsbury’s and since they changed their mince packaging I’ve always hated it every time I buy it! It’d be a pain to buy only mince from a different shop so thinking it’s time to part ways!! It’s all so compact together and doesn’t cook as nicely anymore. Does anyone else have this issue or is it just me? Or does anyone have any tips for cooking it?!

The vacuum packaging is horrible.

It isn’t. Global warming is horrible.

You can’t recycle the vacuum packaging, but you could the old trays. It also makes a minuscule difference. If you care that much, why do you eat meat?

You can recycle the new packaging. It’s collected from our house by the council in the new plastic recycling initiative. All plastic is except for crisp packets, netting and bubble wrap.

And yes we eat very little meat now. Just once or twice a week or none. It’s cheaper and far better for the planet.

Mad because they throw it back here. Why do you care so much? People are allowed differing opinions

Because the planet is burning and some of the hysterical comments about a change in packaging to meet targets that are attempting to reduce global warming are ludicrous.

It won’t make a bit of difference because of China. But sure.

China is doing a lot to reduce plastic waste and global warming and are actually being very proactive. They can see what is coming.

It’s still nothing to make a difference.

Don't get me wrong, I think this thread of complaints about the texture of mince after a measure has been taken to reduce single use plastic is beyond ridiculous.

But then, mince trays aren't what's contributing to global warming is it?

It doesn't matter, we will all be in the pod eating bugs soon enough anyway

That’s incorrect and so ignorant.

Plastic consumption is contributing.

I haven’t bought mince for months for two reasons, the vacuum packaging, and also the price is ridiculous.

How

Could people go to butchers instead? (Our local one is closing down and it’s so sad as they were brilliant and only slightly more expensive than the supermarket but right next to a supermarket so people bypassed them)

Wow with the amount of time spent frothing over mince packaging you’d think a simple internet search would be possible.

Plastic consumption contributes to global warming primarily through the extensive use of fossil fuels for its production and the greenhouse gases released during its entire lifecycle, from extraction to disposal. The production process, which converts fossil fuels into plastic, generates significant carbon emissions, and when plastic is incinerated or breaks down, it releases more greenhouse gases. Additionally, the pollution of oceans with plastic is thought to disrupt their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, and climate change itself can increase plastic pollution.

Lifecycle of plastic and greenhouse gas emissions
Fossil fuel dependency:
Nearly all plastic is made from fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. Extracting and processing these fuels for plastic production releases greenhouse gases.

Production and transportation:
The manufacturing and transportation of plastics through their supply chain are major sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Disposal:
When plastic waste is incinerated, it releases stored carbon from the fossil fuels it was derived from, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Landfills also release greenhouse gases as plastics slowly decompose over hundreds of years.

Ocean pollution:
Plastic that pollutes marine environments can impact the ocean's capacity to act as a natural carbon sink, and a warming climate can lead to more plastic waste generation.

The impact of plastic on oil demand
An "escape valve" for oil:
With increasing pressure to move away from fossil fuels, the oil industry is heavily promoting plastic production as a way to maintain demand for oil.

Expected growth:
The demand for plastic is growing rapidly, and if current trends continue, plastic production is projected to triple by 2060.

Increased oil consumption:
A significant portion of the world's oil is already used for plastic production, and this reliance is expected to grow substantially in the coming decades.

I only buy the 20% fat version (because the flavour comes from the fat) and use only the teeniest spray of oil to cook it, then while I’m browning it, i use a flat wooden spatula, and chop into it. TBH I have noticed no difference, except when making burgers, where, because of the compressed nature of the raw material, these actually turn out better, and when barbecued, don’t turn into giant meatballs!

No, it’s not. Our recycling gets shipped abroad anyway and sold! Changing mince packaging won’t make one iota of a difference, but sure. People can’t be upset by their food being a horrible texture now.

i have never liked sainsbury's mince and hate the look of the new packaging.

Incorrect. Some plastic packaging is recycled and (there are initiatives to increase), some goes to landfill here and some abroad. None of which are ok and a reduction in the overall use of plastic is very much needed.

It's the same in Asda now so I've stopped buying it. I presume sales must have gone down.

Waitrose have reduced packaging without being vacuum packed so I get from there now when I'm passing. Very expensive but I've had a few money off vouchers since I started buying it. And I don't eat much meat anyway so don't mind paying for what I like.

To be completely honest I once bought from a butchers and didn't like that either. So maybe my tastes are just ingrained.

It’s still incinerated for energy recovery though, same as general household waste. There aren’t any effective recycling options for soft plastics. Recycling would be better termed as “reprocessing”.

The only recyclables that have any value are glass, aluminium, tins, cardboard and some clear hard plastics.

So less plastic is clearly better.

Well done Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets acting responsibility. M&S and Tesco I’ll continue to boycott until they up their game.

What part aren’t you getting? At least the old hard plastic could be recycled. This can’t

Absolutely, but I’m very tired of hearing how people’s bread/biscuit/etc wrappers are being transformed into new products when it’s almost certainly (70% plus) being incinerated.

We need to be very clear that soft and coloured plastic has very little re-use value and despite loads of extremely clever and dedicated people researching and trying to commercialise it, we can’t make the re-use case stack up.

Waitrose no longer have the tray nor shrink wrapping & their mince is fine. I doubt gram for gram their plastic weighs more.