Aldi shoppers puzzled by new detail on packaging
Refreshed plastic packaging for Aldi's minced meat has caused debate.
Aldi has defended its new mince meat packaging after shoppers were left confused over claims it has "70% less plastic".
One Aussie man shared online this week how "impressed" he was after discovering the new Jindurra Station 2 Star Beef Mince packaging was wrapped in soft plastic. Others, however, overwhelmingly disagreed with his sentiment, arguing that the item looks as though it uses even more plastic than before.
The criticism comes after the supermarket giant recently announced the roll out of a number of new waste reduction initiatives, including reducing their plastic usage across stores with the goal of by "25 per cent less plastic by 2025", an ALDI spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
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Debate online over packaging claim
The man shared the photo with pure excitement, letting people know he thought the removal of the thick, plastic base from the bottom of the packaging had reduced the amount of plastic used.
"I hope they continue to do this with the rest of their meat packaging," he said.
Everyone else online disagreed, arguing that the packaging looked far less environmentally friendly than it did previously.
"Am I the only one that sees that this is more plastic than before, it used to be in a polystyrene tray with glad wrapper. Now it is full plastic bag so in my logic it is 70% more plastic not less," one person shared.
"Not great. The thick plastic tray is recyclable and top plastic film was much thinner. This new package in 100% not recyclable. Let’s hope others don’t follow," another said.
It's no wonder Aussies have some doubts over a supermarket's waste reduction claims. In 2022, customers were shocked that the soft plastics they dropped at Coles and Woolworths, as part of the supermarket recycling program, REDcycle, had not actually been recycled for months — the program has since collapsed.
How is it 70% less plastic?
ALDI explained to Yahoo that the new "flexible flow-wrap" packaging reduces plastic by a minimum of 70% because of a number of changes including:
Removing the traditional rigid tray found in meat products.
No longer requiring additional printed labels as information can be directly printed on the pack.
Reduced weight from taking away the labels lowers carbon footprint when transporting to stores.
"Every little bit adds up and it’s all part of our mission to make a good difference," the spokesperson added.
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