How do you buy your meat? I have been looking for a plastic free option for some time now, so when Foodstuffs in New Zealand announced that they were now allowing customers to bring in their own containers for meat I was over the moon! So... I want to share with you my first experience of buying meat at the supermarket with my own containers.
I did run into a couple of issues, the first one being that the supermarket I went to didn't actually have a meat counter! So it was actually impossible to buy meat in my containers there. Once I finished the rest of my grocery shopping, I ventured off to find another supermarket that had a meat counter. Once I happily found a store that sold meat over the counter, I realised that really they didn't have a very good selection. All I wanted was some mince meat and some chicken breasts which I thought was a pretty easy ask. But
turns out they didn't have either in the cabinet. So I opted for some steak which looked rather delicious, and two stuffed chicken breasts. The lady at the counter didn't really seem like she knew what she was doing when I passed her my containers and said it would take her 5 minutes to sterilise them. I said that was fine. Then she came back one minute later saying she didn't need to sterilise them because they were clean...? That didn't really make sense to me, but anyway. I soon realised, once two more staff joined in on the task of getting me my meat, that the confusion because this was the first time someone had asked to have their meat put in their own container at that store! After they admitted that we all had a good laugh about it and I admitted it was my first time too.
So the process was, they get a piece of wax paper, put it on the scale, put your meat on top to weigh, then pick up your bundle of meat in the paper, put it in your container and stick the price on top of your container. So not completely waste free, as you can't recycle the piece of wax paper. But I guess that is a requirement for hygiene reasons.
The only other issue I has, was I way underestimated the size of container I would need. The wax paper actually takes up quite a bit of room in there, and my containers weren't that big in the first place.
So my tips for buying meat in your own containers at the supermarket are:
1. Make sure the supermarket has a meat counter.
2. Don't go in expecting they will have the kind of meat you are after.
3. It is not a totally waste free solution.
4. Take a larger container than you think you will need.
I'm sure once I have done it a few times I will get the hang of it. And maybe I will find a supermarket that has a better meat selection. My question still is though, is it better to throw the wax paper in the rubbish, or to buy meat in plastic packaging that can be recycled? Would love to know your thoughts on this.
I also want to ask around my local butchers if they will allow me to bring my own containers, as that may be a better option.
As always, please let me know your thoughts on this topic, and what your experiences have been.