Sainsbury’s is planning to package chicken so that it can be quickly tipped out into a pan, without needing to touch the raw chicken itself, in response to concerns over the safety of touching raw meat.

The plastic pouches are known as “doypacks” – they’re similar to the sort of packaging you might get on some pasta sauces, yogurt drinks or coffee granules.

Sainsbury’s say research showed that the under-35s were unnerved by the prospect of coming into contact with raw meat.

Raw chicken can have bacteria present on it, including Campylobacter, which causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting.

“Customers, particularly younger ones, are quite scared of touching raw meat,” said Katherine Hall, product development manager for meat, fish and poultry at the retailer, told The Sunday Times.

“These bags allow people, especially those who are time-poor, to just ‘rip and tip’ the meat straight into the frying pan without touching it.”

The new packs are plastic pouches sealed with a magnetic or plastic seal. They’re typically used for powders or premixed drinks, but can also be used for meat.

A number of people expressed concern online that it would mean more plastic packaging, something that was reported by news outlets including the Evening Standard.

https://twitter.com/KathrynSurcombe/status/985613081320534016

However, Sainsbury’s told i  the new packaging wouldn’t include more plastic, saying: “We use less plastic with this design versus comparable products.”

If sales are good, Sainsbury’s plan to roll out the packaging to other meats as well, such as pork.

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