Sainsburys excessive packaging case dropped

Lincolnshire county council has dropped legal proceedings against Sainsbury's over “excessive” packaging after deciding the action was no longer in the public interest.

The retail giant was due in Lincoln Magistrate's Court tomorrow (October 13) to face two charges under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003, relating to ‘Taste the Difference' beef roasting joints bought in April 2009 and February 2010 respectively (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Regulations require packaging to be limited to the ‘minimum adequate amount to provide the necessary level of hygiene, safety and acceptance' for the packed product and the consumer. It is understood that the joint in question was vacuum-packed and stored inside a plastic tray with a lid and also had a printed cardboard sleeve which Lincolnshire trading standards officers said was “excessive”.

The case was set to be the first case of its kind involving a major retailer, with big implications for how such companies packaged their products in future.

However, Lincolnshire county council announced yesterday (October 11) that it would not be pursuing the matter further as it had received evidence of a considerable reduction in packaging and the replacement of all previous stock.

Head of Lincolnshire trading standards, Peter Heafield, said:” With the changes which have now been made and the intention of Sainsbury's to make further reductions if possible this authority has decided that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute.”

Cllr Peter Robinson, deputy leader of Lincolnshire county council, added that he was very pleased that the packaging had been reduced and further reductions agreed.

He said: “The need for court action has been avoided and the reduction in packaging which is being achieved on this and other products will result in less environmental damage, while at the same lowering the cost to the council taxpayer of processing household waste.”

Welcomed

Sainsbury's welcomed the decision to withdraw the case but said it did not think the action had ever been in the public interest.

A spokesman said: “Our packaging is under constant review and the council was made aware of our plans for this product back in June, so we never understood why the prosecution was allowed to go as far as it did. The packaging of the product in question has been reduced by 53%, and is set to be reduced by at least another 10% within the next few months.

“Our leadership in this area has led us to reduce our packaging by 8,000,000 kilos over the past year, putting us on track to hit our industry-leading target to reduce packaging by a third by 2015. Our customers know this is a real area of focus for us and today's decision by the council provides recognition of that fact.”