A high street supermarket is putting GPS-trackers on its meat products in a bid to stop thieves in their tracks.
Pictures from a Co-op in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, show a number of meat items such as steak and joints of beef have been packaged in security cases which are GPS tracked.
According to an eyewitness, blocks of cheese have also been security tagged and the bizarre sight is baffling shoppers, Nottinghamshire Live reports.
It comes as the price of everyday food items continues to increase.
Some shops, such as Asda, have been selling tubs of Lurpak butter for up to £7.25 while Brits' incomes are squeezed by inflation and the cost of living crisis.
It comes as households will see their yearly food shopping bills hiked by £380 this year due to the soaring price of groceries.
Figures from analysts Kantar show that grocery price inflation jumped to 8.3% over the four weeks to June 12.
That is an increase on seven percent in May, the highest level since April 2009.
The rising cost of food, combined with increases in energy bills, petrol and the general cost of living, has led supermarkets to add more anti-theft devices to food.
Such security measures are only typically found on high-value items such as technology and alcohol.
But steak costing around £5 is now being protected by some serious kit, and similar instances are being reported elsewhere across the country.
The Co-op says the security measures are not new nor related to the cost of living.
A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “Co-op has been involved in a small scale trial of new packaging for higher value products such as meat for several years, with the additional security providing a further deterrent if a store locally experiences shoplifting issues.
"The move formed part of our Safer Colleagues campaign which has also succeeded in bringing in stricter sentences for violent incidents against shop workers.”
Brits have admitted stealing almost £500 million of toiletries, fresh produce and baby formula this year alone.
Research from www.myfavouritevouchercodes.co.uk found that 34 per cent of UK adults had stolen something using a self-scanning till at a supermarket in the last year - up from 22 per cent before 2022.
The firm surveyed 2,584 shoppers about supermarket thefts.
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