Warning about lidl packaging

looksee

I recently purchased lamb chops in lidl and put them into the freezer for a few days. On Friday I took them out and put them in the microwave for a minute on low setting just to start them defrosting.

Within seconds there was a smell of burning plastic. The chops packaging had gone on fire as a result of there being a security tag (one of those very thin ones embedded into the wrapping) hidden under the paper label that is on top of the plastic cover.

The chops were destroyed by melted plastic, bits of metal strip and burned paper.

I contacted Lidl customer service and they replied, 'sorry can't help you, it does say remove packaging before cooking'. It is true, it does, (in the information on the back, in tiny type, and one would indeed remove packaging before cooking. However I regularly take a pack of meat, puncture the plastic and microwave it briefly to start the defrost process, and make it easier to get the meat out of the packet.

So be aware! There are hidden security tags in lidl packaging!

RedXIV

While this wouldn't be something that I'd do myself, it's nice to have the additional information anyway. thanks!

ourheritage

Next time remove the packaging

CJhaughey

I don't like using clingfilm in contact with fats in the microwave.

Dia1988

Do people really steal lamb chops?

I know lamb is expensive but there are cheaper alternatives such as pork chops.

DamoNolan

Is this in aldi ?? Because i'm sure there's no security tags on meat in lidl.

MrWalsh

DamoNolan wrote: »

Is this in aldi ?? Because i'm sure there's no security tags on meat in lidl.

There is although Im only familiar with it on steak. The alarm goes as you leave the shop - no one pays any attention at all.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

You put plastic packaging in the microwave and it melted? And you're surprised?

No plastic (whether microwavable or not) should be used in a microwave. Have a read about endocrine disrupting chemicals and how they leech from plastics. Nasty stuff.

looksee

Will Repulsive Ventilation wrote: »

You put plastic packaging in the microwave and it melted? And you're surprised?

No plastic (whether microwavable or not) should be used in a microwave. Have a read about endocrine disrupting chemicals and how they leech from plastics. Nasty stuff.

Honestly, read my post. It is perfectly possible to put the vast majority of commercial packaging into the microwave for a short while on a low (30% in this case) without a problem. The plastic film was not touching the meat.

Just for the sake of all us eejits that have no idea how to use a microwave though, (like you know, housewives for 40 odd years cooking meals on a daily basis) I am pointing out that there are safety tags on LIDL meat - or at least lamb chops, which cannot be seen, they are completely hidden under the paper label. There is no indication that it is there.

Many many food products state 'pierce plastic film and microwave etc' in that case the food is in contact with the film and concern would be understandable (though not necessarily valid).

tl:dr - I am simply saying there are hidden security tags on Lidl meat, I am aware of all other implications.

beyondbelief67

looksee wrote: »

Honestly, read my post. It is perfectly possible to put the vast majority of commercial packaging into the microwave for a short while on a low (30% in this case) without a problem. The plastic film was not touching the meat.

Just for the sake of all us eejits that have no idea how to use a microwave though, (like you know, housewives for 40 odd years cooking meals on a daily basis) I am pointing out that there are safety tags on LIDL meat - or at least lamb chops, which cannot be seen, they are completely hidden under the paper label. There is no indication that it is there.

Many many food products state 'pierce plastic film and microwave etc' in that case the food is in contact with the film and concern would be understandable (though not necessarily valid).

tl:dr - I am simply saying there are hidden security tags on Lidl meat, I am aware of all other implications.

People are getting confused by your post as the heading in the thread says lidl but the last line of your op post says beware about meat packaging from aldi, just thought you should know why people are confused.

Dia1988

beyondbelief67 wrote: »

People are getting confused by your post as the heading in the thread says lidl but the last line of your op post says beware about meat packaging from aldi, just thought you should know why people are confused.

No, I think people are confused because she didn't take off the plastic wrapping before she put them into the microwave.

L1011

You say both Lidl and Aldi in your post - is it one or both?

allthedoyles

Common sense should tell you to remove the wrapping before de-frosting .

There are ready-meals that can be pinched with a fork before cooking , and that type of plastic don't melt .

Dia1988

In fairness to the OP, I know what she was doing was reasonable.
She just wanted to quicken up the thawing of the lamb chops as presumably there was ice/hard frost covering them and the packaging.

It's not like she threw them in the microwave with the packaging for 40 minutes and expected lovely cooked chops ready to be eaten.

Moomat

I usually leave the sealed packet sitting in some hot water in the sink basin, they thaw surprisingly quick.

mikehn

Got caught the same way:mad:, there is'nt a security tag in the packet, its the label thats been changed. There is a foil backing on the new labels that doesnt like the microwave.

MrWalsh

I leave frozen meat in the fridge the night before to allow it to defrost overnight or I cook completely from frozen. I'd never use a microwave on frozen meat as it heats completely unevenly (well mine does) and you end up with rubbery cooked bits next to frozen solid bits etc...

If I'm in a big hurry I'll defrost in warm water and keep changing the water.

I'd never put any packaging in the microwave unless the instructions explicitly said too (like microwave popcorn).

GerardKeating

looksee wrote: »

I recently purchased lamb chops in lidl and put them into the freezer for a few days. On Friday I took them out and put them in the microwave for a minute on low setting just to start them defrosting.

Within seconds there was a smell of burning plastic. The chops packaging had gone on fire as a result of there being a security tag (one of those very thin ones embedded into the wrapping) hidden under the paper label that is on top of the plastic cover.

The chops were destroyed by melted plastic, bits of metal strip and burned paper.

I contacted Lidl customer service and they replied, 'sorry can't help you, it does say remove packaging before cooking'. It is true, it does, (in the information on the back, in tiny type, and one would indeed remove packaging before cooking. However I regularly take a pack of meat, puncture the plastic and microwave it briefly to start the defrost process, and make it easier to get the meat out of the packet.

So be aware! There are hidden security tags in aldi packaging!

Which is it, ALDI or LIDL ??

looksee

Apologies, yes it is LIDL. I did not notice the typo.

looksee

mikehn wrote: »

Got caught the same way:mad:, there is'nt a security tag in the packet, its the label thats been changed. There is a foil backing on the new labels that doesnt like the microwave.

In fact it is a security device, it was easy to see the metal 'wire' in the remains of the packaging.

In answer to other replies, while making sure the plastic is not touching the food, I have never come across any other kind of film that responds badly to a brief microwave.

tnegun

I've seen the same feature in Aldi packaging. I think it was on their steaks.

El_Duderino 09

I don't think piercing the plastic has anything to do with it touching the food.

You pierce the microwavable meals to allow expanding gas to escape as it heats up. Piercing keeps the air from building up and eventually bursting. Isn't it?

Dog of Tears

Try to allow enough time to defrost food in a fridge - I usually allow 2 days.

It's safer and the food will taste better.

wirehairmax

This has to be one of the dumbest things ever on here! You melted plastic in a microwave even though the label said "remove ALL packaging"? Some people have just no cop-on whatsoever. How do you get through the day without hurting yourself?

dudara

@wirehairmax - personal attacks on posters are not tolerated here on Boards. Please consider how you post in future.

dudara

cerastes

Meat is pricey, I saw a british tv programme about shop lifting, one of the small shops that had cameras fitted said they were going for high value items like cheese and meats.
Most were apologetic when caught and the owners were given security advice about the layout and also said a large screen or screens showing all areas and putting up faces of people caught helped deter.

I saw an incident recently where a few people were ejected from a store and where hostile.
Lidl (or aldi) dont keep that many staff on to watch all this, Ive noticed the security are either present or more active in certain stores. Ive noticed when they pay more attention, sometimes very obviously to certain people or even me, if I go in with a bunch of shopping bags, a baby bag or even just wearing a hat, sometimes I wear shades inside if I have a headache as flourescents can be painful (I noticed that in some tescos) but I try avoid it.
I might go in with a swag bag and a stripey outfit sometime for the laugh, because if they think Im stealing stuff they need more training. Ive seen people lift stuff in a few aldis, literally jamming it down their dress/trousers (who'd want it after that :eek:) but its so furtative and obvious I dont know how it isnt noticed, maybe the tags are security or maybe its some other traceability for the meat??

That said, I wouldnt defrost anything with its plastic wrapping on, but I suppose its handy to know. I prefer defrost in the fridge or leave it in a plastic tub to defrost out of direct sunlight.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Saipanne

looksee wrote: »

I recently purchased lamb chops in lidl and put them into the freezer for a few days. On Friday I took them out and put them in the microwave for a minute on low setting just to start them defrosting.

Within seconds there was a smell of burning plastic. The chops packaging had gone on fire as a result of there being a security tag (one of those very thin ones embedded into the wrapping) hidden under the paper label that is on top of the plastic cover.

The chops were destroyed by melted plastic, bits of metal strip and burned paper.

I contacted Lidl customer service and they replied, 'sorry can't help you, it does say remove packaging before cooking'. It is true, it does, (in the information on the back, in tiny type, and one would indeed remove packaging before cooking. However I regularly take a pack of meat, puncture the plastic and microwave it briefly to start the defrost process, and make it easier to get the meat out of the packet.

So be aware! There are hidden security tags in lidl packaging!

Jesus...

WoolyJumper

Next time just let your meat (still in the plastic) thaw out in a bowl of room temp water (not warm but not too cold either). They will thaw out pretty fast. Its much safer and tastes better.

allthedoyles

WoolyJumper wrote: »

Next time just let your meat (still in the plastic) thaw out in a bowl of room temp water (not warm but not too cold either). They will thaw out pretty fast. Its much safer and tastes better.

We live in the age of fast-food , so who on earth is going to have the time/patience to wait for something to de-frost at room temperature ?

larchill

Not all packaging is microwaveable!

cerastes

WoolyJumper wrote: »

Next time just let your meat (still in the plastic) thaw out in a bowl of room temp water (not warm but not too cold either). They will thaw out pretty fast. Its much safer and tastes better.

I wonder is that quicker or safer than defrosting at room temp?

WoolyJumper

cerastes wrote: »

I wonder is that quicker or safer than defrosting at room temp?

I dont know about safer but it is faster... obviously not as fast as doing it in a microwave :pac:

Edit: my original post was referring to safer than defrosting in a microwave. The best option is still to defrost your meat in the fridge if you have the time. But if you are in a bind and have an hour or two then defrosting in a bowl of room temp water is a better option than a microwave.

cerastes

WoolyJumper wrote: »

I dont know about safer but it is faster... obviously not as fast as doing it in a microwave :pac:

Edit: my original post was referring to safer than defrosting in a microwave. The best option is still to defrost your meat in the fridge if you have the time. But if you are in a bind and have an hour or two then defrosting in a bowl of room temp water is a better option than a microwave.

I dont know how it was supposed to work or if it was a gimmick, but I knew someone, years ago they had a metal tray, looked like a rectangular coated frying pan, supposedly you put the frozen slab of meat on it and it defrosted, not sure if it was the power of suggestion or if ita ctually worked, or how it would work for something like a chicken that isnt in contact with the magic metal.

rubadub

Will Repulsive Ventilation wrote: »

You put plastic packaging in the microwave and it melted? And you're surprised?

I was certainly very surprised to hear about a fire starting in seconds.

looksee wrote: »

Within seconds there was a smell of burning plastic. The chops packaging had gone on fire

I would not have expected that to happen, weird how others seem to think it would, have they had or heard of similar experiences?

I think this thread would have been far more suited to the cooking forum, and have gotten far more constructive responses.

I had a pot noodle type thing, intended to be cooked in a microwave. I followed the instructions and it went on fire in the microwave. A tiny little strip of tinfoil had torn and remained on the cardboard container at the top. It is when you have tiny amounts of metal in mircowaves that you will have trouble. Like this security tag would have had. If you have large smooth metal objects like a spoon stuck in a microwave with a reasonable amount of food then there usually will be no issue.

Defrosted food does not absorb microwaves well at all, so a lot of energy could have been going into the metal strip.

rubadub wrote: »

Substances have things called "loss factors". It is sort of a measure of how well they absorb microwaves. Different substances have different loss factors at different temperatures too.

Ice does not absorb microwaves well, water does. If you put a frozen burger in a microwave and heat on full the ice does not absorb well, the moment a spot defrosts it becomes water. This spot of water then sort of sucks all the microwaves in, making a "hot spot". Now this snowballs, the hot water defrosts the ice around it by conduction. You end up with a spot fully cooked and brown and possibly dried out and hard, while other bits are fully frozen.

To overcome this effect you should run frozen food under a hot tap to defrost it all round.

cerastes wrote: »

I wonder is that quicker or safer than defrosting at room temp?

It would be quicker, and therefore safer as it is not spending a long time at a temp which is beneficial to bacterial growth.

hdowney

cerastes wrote:

I dont know how it was supposed to work or if it was a gimmick, but I knew someone, years ago they had a metal tray, looked like a rectangular coated frying pan, supposedly you put the frozen slab of meat on it and it defrosted, not sure if it was the power of suggestion or if ita ctually worked, or how it would work for something like a chicken that isnt in contact with the magic metal.

I have one of them. No idea how it works but it does.

MadDog76

looksee wrote: »

Honestly, read my post. It is perfectly possible to put the vast majority of commercial packaging into the microwave for a short while on a low (30% in this case) without a problem. The plastic film was not touching the meat.

Just for the sake of all us eejits that have no idea how to use a microwave though, (like you know, housewives for 40 odd years cooking meals on a daily basis) I am pointing out that there are safety tags on LIDL meat - or at least lamb chops, which cannot be seen, they are completely hidden under the paper label. There is no indication that it is there.

Many many food products state 'pierce plastic film and microwave etc' in that case the food is in contact with the film and concern would be understandable (though not necessarily valid).

tl:dr - I am simply saying there are hidden security tags on Lidl meat, I am aware of all other implications.

Of course they're hidden ......... what would be the point in having a security precaution on a product that would be easily visible and therefore easily accessible to a potential shoplifter?

Just read and follow the instructions on the packaging, ie. Remove all packaging before cooking.

qt3.14

PICNIC! Problem in customer, not in chops!

dudara

qt3.14 - please post only if you have constructive advice to offer. Remember, it's "attack the post, not the poster"

dudara

Nate--IRL--

Got caught with this too, ruined 2 good steaks and started a nice little bonfire in my microwave. Emailed Aldi customer service, who basically said "tough".

Who would steal a Steak? There are more expensive items that can be stolen easier than a feckin steak.

Nate

soccerc

Nate--IRL--

Have a look at the other packaging, that yellow dot is the size of a 1 c coin.

Nate

MadDog76

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

Got caught with this too, ruined 2 good steaks and started a nice little bonfire in my microwave. Emailed Aldi customer service, who basically said "tough".

Who would steal a Steak? There are more expensive items that can be stolen easier than a feckin steak.

Nate

Shoplifters ......... :rolleyes:

looksee

Not lamb chops but identical packaging. I am baffled by the number of smart ...alecs who would rather make snarky remarks than just say, yes, ok, we will remember that. I reckon most of the people being sarcastic do all their meal preparation with a phone.

Mo60

looksee wrote: »

Not lamb chops but identical packaging. I am baffled by the number of smart ...alecs who would rather make snarky remarks than just say, yes, ok, we will remember that. I reckon most of the people being sarcastic do all their meal preparation with a phone.

Thank you for the warning. I for one will take note.

Unfortunately, smart unhelpful remarks seem to be all some posters can post. For this reason, I, and many others I suspect, no longer post on Boards.

L1011

Mo60 wrote: »

For this reason, I, and many others I suspect, no longer post on Boards.

You just have posted.


(expects this to be considered a "smart remark" too, for some reason...)

dudara

@L1011 - yes that was a smart remark. You did not have post it and yet you did

dudara.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

@looksee, to be clear - my comment wasn't trying to be smart. I am genuinely astonished that anyone would put plastic, in particular meat packaging, in the microwave. But thank you for the warning.

Nate--IRL--

Why wouldn't you, when just defrosting?

Nate

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

This is going OT but microwaving plastic (even at low power) can change the composition of the plastic, allowing various chemicals in the plastic to leech out. Plenty of studies and further reading on the interweb.

Microwavable plastics are different in that they are certified as 'safe' to use in the microwave.

Look each to there own. "X has done it for years, nothing wrong with them" etc etc. My choice is not to microwave any plastics.

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

Why wouldn't you, when just defrosting?

Nate