Lidl has become the latest supermarket to introduce vacuum-packed mince to cut plastic waste following the move first made by Sainsbury's earlier this year.
Lidl, Co-Op and Sainsbury's now all offer the new recyclable packaging on their own brand beef mince products including its 5% fat beef, 10% fat beef and 18% fat beef.
The new packs, which will be rolled out from the beginning of next year, will save space and result in up to 350 delivery trucks being taken off the road each year.
The discount supermarket chain says the move has reduced plastic waste on its beef products by two thirds (63%) and claims it will save 250 tonnes of plastic a year.
Lidl also says the new packaging also provides double the current shelf life, halving beef mince food waste in store.
The shelf life will go from eight to around 16 days.
The change forms part of Lidl plan to reduce its own-label plastic packaging by 40% by 2025
Shyam Unarket, Lidl head of responsible sourcing & ethical trade, said: “Plastic reduction is a huge priority for us, and this one change will reduce the amount of plastic in each pack by a whopping two thirds, culminating in the elimination of over 250 tonnes of plastic from packaging a year.
"However, we also recognise the important role that plastic plays in our daily lives.
"That’s why it’s hugely important that our plastic reduction strategy is centred around a progressive circular programme. By ensuring that any new packaging is recyclable, we’ll be able to help prevent plastic pollution in our environment."
Sainsbury's was the first supermarket chain to introduce new packaging to replace its tray and film packaging.
However, the move did not initially go down well with all shoppers, with complaints including that it made the meat “mushy”, looked "disgusting" and “unappetising”, or resembled “someone’s kidney”.
Even with this backlash, the supermarket chain has stood by the move saying that it was "always looking for new ways to innovate packaging" to meet its "ambitious plastic reduction targets".
In a statement, Richard Crampton, director of fresh food at Sainsbury’s said: “We know customers expect us to reduce plastic packaging and we are committed to making bold changes for our customers and the environment.
"This small change makes a big difference, more than halving the plastic used in our beef mince range and also reducing food waste.
"We are always listening to feedback and can see lots of our customers are already getting used to the change.”
