Tesco shoppers rage as supermarket makes 'insane' change to popular item

In an attempt to clamp down on incidents, has started placing security tags on more of its food products. One customer at a Doncaster branch was taken aback upon discovering prime cut fillet steaks, retailing at £48 per kg, ensnared in netted bags with security devices.

The supermarket giant is taking these measures as part of a wider crackdown involving Tesco and other leading chains implementing tighter security across their stores. These initiatives, rolled out heavily since 2022, encompass tactics such as attaching security tags to a range of goods, protecting products within secure boxes, displaying empty packages on shelves, limiting item quantities, and checking receipts at exits.

A bemused Reddit user shared a picture of the steak, asking: "I'm sorry what the f**k now!?" The snap led to hundreds of reactions from fellow users. One said: "Mate they’ve got steaks in secure cases in my local express stores in Cambridge."

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Someone else observed: "It’s insane but I am not surprised - I saw the same in . I have seen in Coop in Cambridge bloke just picked few steaks from the shelf and run out." A third person commented: "I worked in profit protection for a few years. Meat theft is rife. Anything that can be resold easily. Meat, alcohol, Nicorette, branded underwear, and toothbrush heads. Have a look on your local marketplace for these things and no doubt you will find someone selling peculiar quantities of some of these items. High value and easily concealable."

It's not the first time Tesco has added security tags and packaging to its products. Earlier this year it was reported the supermarket giant had added security tags to to blocks of cheese in a bid to deter shoplifters. Spotted in a branch in Derby, the 550g blocks of Cathedral City mature cheddar - priced at £5.95 - were wrapped in netted bags with a security device attached.

Customers were again shocked to spot additional security on a product costing just £2 Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Nestle's Milky Bar and Galaxy treats, in a London superstore. In a post shared by London & UK Street News on X, a photo of the confectionary aisle shows chocolate had joined toilet roll, Lurpak butter and cheese, which have also been subjected to drastic security measures in recent months.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were approximately 402,000 shoplifting offences recorded in the year leading up to September 2023. This is a significant increase from the 304,459 incidents reported in the previous 12 months. Overall, the total cost of crime to retailers stood at £3.3billion in 2023, double the previous year's figure.

Tesco has been contacted for comment.

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