Grampian Country Food Group News
Scottish shoppers will be the first to receive fully biodegradable food packaging
from Sainsbury’s.
19 March 2008
From Wednesday 19th March all Sainsbury’s Scottish So Organic whole chickens will be sold in compostable trays instead of plastic – the first of its type for fresh meat - as it seeks to cut packaging waste.
Made from sugar cane the packaging can be thrown straight into the compost heap or bin where it will decompose naturally in around eight weeks.
James Laws, Sainsbury’s Regional Sourcing Manager for Fresh Foods in Scotland said: “More of our shoppers are becoming increasingly aware not only about where their food is produced and supporting local producers, but also have concerns on landfill and deterioration of the environment.
Environmentally-friendly packaging is high on our agenda and with this new generation of compostable packaging we will significantly reduce the amount of plastic which threatens the Scottish environment. Over 7,000 organic chickens are sold every week in Sainsbury’s in Scotland and more than 100,000* Scots own a compost bin - this packaging hopes to save 9 tonnes per year (26g per tray, 182kg per week) waste out of landfill.”
The launch comes on the back of the commitment Sainsbury’s made in 2006, when they announced that, ‘more than 500 of its own-brand products will be sold in compostable packaging.’
This joint venture between Scotland’s biggest organic chicken producers, Grampian Country Food Group, Sainsbury’s and supplier Natura ASP, has taken over two years to develop and implement into stores.
Scottish So Organic chicken is 100 per cent sourced from Scottish farms and is in all Sainsbury’s stores throughout Scotland.
The range was first launched in Scotland in Summer 2006 in order to meet a growing demand for organic products supplied by local, ethical producers. Since its launch the range has proved extremely popular, so much so Sainsbury’s is leading the market in organic in Scotland.
* Source: 2007 WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme)