Woolworths shuts down proposal to BYO containers
Woolworths has shut down suggestions they are considering letting shoppers bring in their own Tupperware containers for buying meat and fish.
After controversially removing single use plastic bags from supermarkets for environmental reasons, Woolies is reportedly weighing up the benefits of Tupperware containers to reduce meat packaging, reported The Daily Telegraph.
However, a Woolworths spokesperson has shut down the claim this morning over concerns about contamination risks of bringing non-sterilised containers into meat, seafood and deli departments.
“This is not something we offer at the moment due to food safety and operational reasons, but we are always looking for new ways to help customers reduce plastic consumption across our stores,” a Woolworths spokesman said.
Currently, Morrisons Supermarkets in the UK gives shoppers the option of having their raw meat and fish weighed at the counter and then placed into the shoppers’ own containers.
Customers who do so are rewarded with 100 loyalty card points – the equivalent of 10p or almost 20 cents – and receive a sticker on their container to be scanned at checkout.
Coles is not considering the introduction and says it “does not allow customers to bring in their own containers to use as it poses a health and safety risk”.
“It also makes it very difficult for us to do a thorough investigation if a customer becomes ill and we are unsure where the container used came from,” a spokeswoman said.
“However, Coles is actively working to reduce waste and landfill through a variety of initiatives, such as removing single-use plastic bags from all Coles supermarkets on July 1.”