October 11, 2010 3.57 pm This story is over 160 months old

County Council gets off Sainsbury’s case

Old beef: Lincolnshire County Council are no longer taking Sainsbury’s to court over their packaging row.

Lincolnshire County Council has dropped the legal action against Sainsbury’s, after the supermarket reduced the packaging on its beef joint.

As Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference slow matured beef packaging has lessened, the council said the legal action is no longer in the public interest.

Head of Lincolnshire Trading Standards Peter Heafield, who made the original claim, said: “This authority first drew its concerns about this issue to Sainsbury’s attention in early 2009 and the matters before the court related to the packaging being used on this product in April 2009 and February 2010.

“With the changes which have now been made and the intention of Sainsbury’s to make further reductions if possible this authority has decided that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute.”

As previously reported, the feud between the supermarket chain and County Council began last year when a Lincoln customer complained about the packaging on a joint.

Upon researching the claim, Lincolnshire County Council believed that Sainsbury’s had broken a law stating regulations on suitable packaging.

After launching the legal action, Sainsbury’s said they would replace and change the packaging on the beef. Proof of this has been received by the council.

Deputy Leader of Lincolnshire County Council Cllr Peter Robinson said: “The packaging has now been reduced and a way forward to try to achieve even further reductions has been agreed.

“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.”

Lincolnshire County Council did not say how much it has spent to bring the legal charges upon Sainsbury’s.

Source: Lincolnshire County Council