British budget supermarket chain Aldi has announced trialling vacuum and flow-wrap packaging for its beef mince products to minimise plastic use by up to 73%.

The retailer has already commenced the vacuum packaging trial across some of its stores in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire.

The flow-wrap packaging is expected to be rolled out later in November at select Aldi stores in the same areas.

This trial will allow Aldi to assess and understand customers’ preference in terms of packaging.

It will further help Aldi to minimise the amount of plastic used in its products packaging.

The production of this sustainable packaging alternative uses no carbon dioxide, contributing to more environmental benefits.

The new packaging will also eliminate the requirement of a paper lining.

The retailer said that the vacuum and flow-wrap packs will not have any impact on the quality or taste of the product inside. It will rather increase the overall shelf life of the beef mince by keeping it fresh for a long time.

Aldi Plastics and Packaging director Luke Emery said: “At Aldi we are constantly reviewing ways to become more environmentally friendly and reduce plastic where possible.

“These trials promise a range of environmental benefits without affecting quality and could lead to significant reductions in plastic, food miles and food waste if rolled out across all stores.”

The latest move comes after Aldi decided to transition to colourless caps for its milk products across all its 990 stores in the UK.

Apart from Aldi, many other British retailers have decided to switch to vacuum packaging for their beef mince products.

Earlier this month, Tesco announced to launch recyclable packaging for its fresh mince products, to minimise plastic use by 70%.

In February, Sainsbury’s launched vacuum packaging format for its beef mince products, to reduce plastic use by 55%.