The conventional, rigid plastic lids that clip onto a pot of houmous have been replaced with thin, peelable sheets of plastic, much like those used for yoghurt pots. The move is expected to translate to around 260 tonnes of plastic being saved every year.
A Tesco spokesperson told the Daily Mail Online that the new lids do not affect the quality or shelf life of the houmous; and that, as before, it is recommended that houmous should be consumed within two days of opening.
“This latest change will remove more than 31 million pieces of plastic – equivalent to 157 tonnes of plastic a year,” they said.
This is not the first change of its kind. Back in 2020, Tesco sought to save 100 tonnes of plastic per annum, and 34 million pieces of plastic in general, by removing secondary lids from its creams; Sainsbury’s would go on to announce the removal of single-use plastic lids from its own-brand dip pots throughout 2023.
Yet the new packaging has sparked backlash, largely because the new lids are not as easy to reseal for storage – requiring more single-use plastics to be applied at home to keep the houmous fresh.
“I’m so baffled about Tesco removing the plastic lid from hummus and replacing it with a flimsy plastic cover, which requires me to now cover it with cling film or similar,” author Laura Pearson posted on X. “How is that helping anyone?”
As reported by MSN, some consumers feel that the change has shortened the shelf life of their houmous products and forced them to prioritize eating quickly over enjoying their food. An X user responding to Laura Pearson even speculated that this may have been an intentional choice to incentivize consumers to spend more money at each retailer.
While the Tesco spokesperson told MailOnline that it would be “inaccurate to say cost saving was the motivation for the action”, several critics have wondered whether the change could have a financial incentive, with an MSN respondent stating that they “wouldn’t mind paying extra to have the lid”.
Other social media users shared their frustrations that the lack of a strong lid made spillages more likely, leading to both mess and additional food waste.
Not everybody is opposed to the change, though. Consumers have advised others to save the lids from past houmous pots or other products, which they can then reuse to cover their current houmous pots. One X user recommended aluminium foil, which is recyclable in the UK.
Sainsbury’s also sells reusable, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free stretchy lids for sealing 9.5cm – 11.5cm diameter pots of products like yoghurt, crème fraiche, custard, cottage cheese, and dips. These are apparently designed to last for years.
Alternatively, single-use materials can be avoided altogether by covering open pots with a small plate, as Helen Bird, head of material systems transformation at WRAP, told The Guardian.
The conversation demonstrates that, as companies work to reduce single-use plastics in their packaging, consumer response is an important consideration – and, sometimes, a setback. Shoppers are not always willing to compromise on their usual behaviours for the sake of the environment.
Sainsbury’s has previously faced anger for replacing the tray packaging for its beef mince range with vacuum packs. Consumers described the change as ‘awful’, pointing out the “vile” texture of the packaged meat and that, unlike the old pack, the vacuum pack could only be recycled in-store, not at kerbside.
Robert Lilienfeld, founder and executive director of sustainable packaging think tank SPRING, also criticized what he called a ‘complete failure’ in packaging design. He argued that the ‘purplish colour’ of the meat combined with the green label would evoke spoilage and put consumers off the product; and that Sainsbury’s had not done enough to convince consumers that the pack would be beneficial to them.
