Tesco Joins Sainsbury's in Embracing Bagged Milk

LONDON, United Kingdom — A second U.K. retailer has started offering Dairy Crest milk in bags, which use 75 percent less packaging than milk in jugs.

Tesco has started trialing sales of the company's Country Life bagged milk, which is dispensed using a special container called the Jugit. Earlier this year, Sainsbury's began stocking Dairy Crest bagged milk at all of its stores following a successful 18-month trial.

At the same time, though, competing supermarket chain Waitrose moved away from bagged milk, citing low sales for the reason it switched back to milk in plastic bottles.

Soon after Sainsbury's put bagged milk in shelves nationwide, Dairy Crest unveiled a redesigned version of the Jugit to make it easier to handle and use. The reusable dispenser works by placing the bag of milk inside, slipping part of the bag into a clip and closing the lid, which pierces the bag with an attached spike and holds the bag in place throughout its use.

Although bags like those used for bagged milk are generally not as widely accepted in recycling programs as plastic bottles are, the production of the bags uses fewer raw materials and less energy than making bottles, they weigh less during transportation and they take up less space when disposed of in recycling or trash bins.

Bagged milk - CC license by Flickr user sidesmirk