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milk in a bag
Tuesday 14 August 2001
The great British bottle of milk is facing a new threat - from plastic bags.
The two-pint clear plastic pouches are being sold in supermarkets in the west as part of an eight week pilot.
Dairy Crest is pioneering the delivery of milk in the plastic bags which cost 2p less than a two-pint plastic bottle and the company says they take up less space in landfill sites.
The dairy is following in the steps of Canadian, Indian and Swiss dairies by selling milk in the plastic bags.
But shoppers didn't seem too keen on the idea. .
One told HTV West Online that she would stick to the bottles "because the bags could split and were difficult to carry."
The new pouches may signal another change to our milk-buying habits.
First it was milk delivered in glass bottles, then it became available in cartons. The plastic bottle emerged in the 1990's - and by last year about ninety percent of the country's milk was bought in a plastic container.
Plastic milk pouches have been used in Canada for the last thirty years.
Consumers can use the milk or freeze it. Dairies and shops supply milk jugs in to which the pouch is placed and then cut open.
Buying trends have also changed as the door- to-door milkman has faced increasing competition from supermarkets and shops. Last year nearly three-quarters of the nine billion pints of milk consumed in Britain were bought from supermarkets or other retailers.
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