Unhappy customers are voicing their complaints about a new peel-off film cover for hummus pots, which is supposed to be designed to reduce plastic waste.

In recent years, the battle against single-use plastics has been fought on numerous fronts, from bottle caps to shopping bags, and from cutlery to straws. However, a recent initiative by British supermarkets has encountered opposition from fans of hummus.

Sainsbury's and Tesco have eliminated single-use plastic lids from their own-brand hummus pots in a bid to cut down on waste.

This is because the stores are part of the UK Plastics Pact, masterminded by Wrap, and are working towards ambitious 2025 goals – most notably, making sure all plastic packaging can be reused, recycled, or composted.

For some, though, this move, which aligns with similar efforts to curb plastic use in the food industry, is simply unacceptable.

Customers expressing their dissatisfaction on social media have claimed it's "eco-friendliness gone too far".

Another shopper, commenting on X (formerly Twitter), stated: "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 clingfilm or similar. How is that helping anyone?"

Helen Bird, who heads up material systems transformation for sustainability charity Wrap, commented: "The biggest supermarkets are all working to remove problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging.

"There are many examples of this removal, including lids from dairy products and dips. This is not always as convenient for people as single-use plastic, but there are other solutions, like covering with a small plate.

"There is much more to be done to remove unnecessary packaging, which provide wider benefits to shoppers."

This isn't the first time that changes in packaging have sparked dissatisfaction among consumers. Sainsbury's decision to vacuum-pack its mince led to complaints with one customer likening it to a body part.

Meanwhile, Waitrose and Co-op faced criticism for switching from coloured to clear milk bottle lids.

Tesco's spokesperson weighed in on the initiative: "We have recently removed the lids on our hummus pots as part of our ongoing efforts to tackle plastic waste. This latest change will remove more than 31 million pieces of plastic equivalent to 157 tonnes of plastic a year."