by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Canned tomatoes are to disappear from the shelves of Sainsbury's supermarkets in an effort to cut waste.
Sainsbury's “Basics” canned tomatoes are now only going to be sold in cartons rather than cans, according to the supermarket chain's bosses.
They believe the move, for their highest selling non-fresh item, will reduce packaging by half a million kilos every year.
Switch to carton will also, store chiefs believe, help the supermarket achieve its target of reducing packaging by a third by 2015, while reducing carbon emissions by 156 tonnes a year.
Hopefully this will also do away then with any possibilities of BPA leachage into the tomatoes, as presently is possible with the lining that is in the tin cans.
Sainsbury's head of packaging, Stuart Lendrum, said that this type of carton is a strong challenger to the traditional tin can in many ways, and may well pose a threat to its dominance over the coming years.
"Packaging basics chopped tomatoes this way”, he said, “will make life easier for customers as they will take up less space in cupboards, while at the same time, the environmental impact of those tomatoes will be a lot lower.
"Also, as they can be packed more tightly, more will fit onto a lorry meaning fewer journeys are required to move them around the country."
The only problem that I can see with those cartons is the fact that, unlike tin cans, they cannot, possibly, be stored as high in shelves and are no way as safe in storage. But then that is my only concern here. I can well do without the need of a can opener and then after having to crush the can.
Though another question that comes to mind is with regards to how recyclable those cartons are. They will, after all, be a laminate of, more than likely cardboard and tin foil, and whatever else. This, as far as I know, would more than likely make them not recyclable in the same way as drinks cartons cannot be recycled. Did anyone think of that, I wonder?
They may be reducing the amount of waste but not the waste. In fact they may be creating much more stuff to go to landfill as those cartons, as said, more than likely cannot be recycled. Someone may just have shot themselves in the foot and it could be messy.
© 2010
