A landmark legal case against supermarket giant Sainsburys over excessive and unnecessary packaging has been dropped by Trading Standards Officers.
Charges were brought against Sainsbury’s last month by Lincolnshire County Council’s Trading Standards for the use of too much packaging on a joint of slow matured beef in its Lincoln store.
The case was taken up last year following a formal complaint from a shopper who bought the ‘Taste the Difference’ beef product from a Sainsbury’s store in Lincoln. The first hearing was due to take place today at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court.
However, Lincolnshire Council’s Trading Standards team yesterday confirmed that it had decided to drop the case as they had received evidence from Sainsbury’s of a “considerable reduction in packaging and the replacement of all previous stock”.
As a result, the council said they now feel that “legal action against the company for the previous packaging is no longer in the public interest”.
Cllr Peter Robinson, deputy leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said “I am pleased with this very positive outcome.”
“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.”
A spokesman for Sainsburys 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 per cent, and is set to be reduced by at least another 10 per cent within the next few months.”
