Migros Bio M-Drink UHT

Hello kiwi3689, we have indeed already noticed that the twist locks do not meet our expectations. The supplier is already looking for solutions so that we can rectify the situation as quickly as possible. However, we have been informed by those responsible that we will probably not be able to make a definitive switch to improved lids until 2026, as this is when the new packaging machine will arrive. We understand that such a circumstance is annoying, but we hope that you will give us a little patience. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

This is not normal, but did you keep it in the fridge after opening and consume it within 2-3 days? Milk should always be consumed quickly after opening, regardless of whether it is past or UHT.

I had this with my last milk. As a test, I bought a new one, opened it and poured it out. Again there were shreds at the bottom

Hello Alissa127, as we did not have a specific best-before date, we tasted retained samples from the last bottlings. We did not find any deviations.

We assume that the lumps of milk that you find at the end of each bottle could be coagulated proteins that can form during the heat treatment of the milk. This causes the product to separate over the storage period. This results in the sediment you have noticed. As this only occurs after a certain period of time, it could not be detected by the line control and/or the subsequent analyses.

Apart from the purely visual aspect, this separation poses no health risk. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Thanks for the detailed answer. The milk still tasted good too. :)

Because the Migi is too slow to change the image.

Hello Chrisholi, thank you for your inquiry. Our online store is managed independently. We therefore ask you to contact the relevant specialist department directly. Click here for the form. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello horo_r, thank you for your message. It is best to hold the packaging so that the opening is at the top. This way, the liquid will flow out of the pack in a more controlled manner. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

You can't be serious, can you? Of course I hold the carton with the opening facing upwards to open it, but as soon as you try to hold the new carton a little tighter with your hand to lift it or even tilt it a little to pour the milk, the carton gives way, sometimes even buckles and produces the aforementioned gush of milk.

Hello horo_r¸ we have of course studied the life cycle assessment in detail, or rather commissioned it. Conclusion: with the current recycling rate, the new packaging is equivalent to the old packaging. And if the collection of Tetra packaging is implemented, it will be massively better. Investments in new packaging are always planned by the in-house industry for the very long term. That's why the changeover has already taken place. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

I'm afraid we're talking at cross purposes: I primarily have a problem with the fact that the tetra pack is much less practical for me as a user. (crushes easily and attracts milk as explained in the 1st post). I don't understand why people accept a deterioration in the handling of this product. If you don't want to go back to the tried and tested solution, surely there are better solutions with the tetrapack.

Hello Tapio, thank you very much for your comment. We have switched the milk carton to "Tetra Edge". The environmental impact of the carton and the PE bottle are comparable, there is no significant difference. This is despite the fact that the beverage carton is not (yet) recycled. There is a solid public study on this: https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/abfall/mitteilungen.msg-id-54391.html. In addition, thanks to the new opening system, we have greatly improved the level of convenience and the packaging is now easier to handle. At present, Tetra packs have to be disposed of with normal household waste as, as mentioned, we do not yet have a recycling system for them. However, some local collection points do take back such packaging. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Dear M-Infoline team Sorry, these are all excuses, but no reasons! As you explained in detail to eweber on 24.09., Tetra is really not a good solution, and certainly not an environmentally friendly one. So why is Migros switching to packaging that should actually be boycotted? With the introduction of the previous plastic bottle, they had found a very good alternative, but then realized that the disposal is more complicated than expected. In my opinion, there are only economic reasons for the step back! In my humble opinion, however, this contradicts the promise of customer friendliness and environmental protection! "Yes, if the rough hands of some customers can't cope with the cap, that's a good excuse for us to switch to a cheaper solution" SO PLEASE DON'T ! ! ! And if you do, then please communicate honestly! Best regards Tapio

Hello eweber, thank you for your message. Migros is very concerned about the ecologically sound and high-quality recycling of packaging. Where it makes ecological sense and is economically viable, the raw materials should be recycled and returned to the material cycles. However, Migros cannot currently offer to take back drinks cartons or Tetra Pak for various reasons: Recycling beverage cartons has little additional environmental benefit and leads to very high additional costs. Beverage cartons are also often not resealable, which can lead to hygiene problems and unpleasant odors in the stores and distribution centers. For these reasons, there are currently no plans to collect drinks cartons in Migros stores, but Migros does not categorically reject the collection of drinks cartons. If the infrastructural, technical and financial hurdles can be overcome, the ecological balance improves and there is also a great customer demand, Migros will reconsider the introduction of a voluntary collection of beverage cartons. Beverage cartons have a similar ecological balance to plastic bottles, even though the former are not (currently) recycled. Beverage cartons are coated with aluminium and plastic and therefore cannot be handed over for collection. Although beverage cartons are still disposed of in the garbage and then incinerated, the overall environmental impact of this packaging is positive. Cardboard is made from renewable raw materials. Migros also aims to procure packaging made from FSC-quality wood. Kind regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello M-Infoline team, thank you for your reply of 24.9.21. Unfortunately, this is not really related to my message of 21.9.21. My opinion was that it does not really make sense to change a recyclable packaging to a non-recyclable one, why not wait until Migros will collect the beverage cartons to make a change.
Does Migros really not want to take back more packaging? Should I now throw the beverage cartons in the normal waste in the Migros store and this then ends up in the normal household waste? Not really a sustainable attitude of Migros, contrary to the current trend of all other retailers, too bad. Thanks in advance for feedback on my message. greetings.

Hello eweber, thank you very much for your feedback. With the current recycling rate, the new packaging is equivalent to the old packaging; if the collection of Tetra packaging is implemented, it will be massively better. In our own industry, we always plan our investments in new packaging for the very long term. That is why the changeover has already taken place. At the moment, Tetra packaging has to be disposed of with normal household waste because, as I mentioned, we don't yet have a recycling system for it. However, some local collection points do take back such packaging. Kind regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello MaIsJuFe, thank you very much for your feedback. Although the beverage carton is not (yet) recycled, the environmental impact of beverage cartons and plastic bottles is comparable. There is no significant difference. In addition, thanks to the new opening system, we have greatly improved the level of convenience and the packaging is now easier to handle. Nevertheless, we will be happy to take your feedback on board and keep an eye on it. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello MaIsJuFe, thank you for your message. We have changed the packaging to "Tetra Edge". With the current recycling system, there is no significant difference in the environmental impact between the beverage carton and the PE bottle. If in future beverage cartons are collected and recycled throughout Switzerland with a high collection rate, the environmental impact of the beverage cartons will be significantly lower than that of the PE bottle. Migros has already carried out good test runs. As we are assuming this future scenario, we have invested accordingly in such a packaging system so that we can reduce the ecological value in future. Kind regards, your M-Infoline team

When and where can tetra packs be handed in for disposal, as our depot in the city does not accept them.

Hello MaIsJuFe, thank you for your feedback. There are regional collection points for each municipality or special-purpose association. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello M-Infoline, you write about a future scenario. In what timeframe do you see this happening? And is Migros doing anything to push this forward or are they simply changing the packaging for stock, because as far as I know there is little being done in Switzerland? I think it's totally stupid that I have to throw the packaging in the bin now. There is no such collection point in my area (the nearest one is more than 20 km away). Migros could register as a collection point here, for example: https://www.getraenkekarton.ch And every Migros customer could cast a vote to become a supporter, then maybe something will happen ;) The topic was discussed at the annual conference of the Swiss Packaging Institute (SVI) in January 2020, but not much has happened since then. People are waiting for politicians, but they take forever to get anything done, write reports first and hope that the industry will sort it out. Aldi once had a pilot project for a few years, which was stopped because too many bottles from Coop, Migros and co ended up with them and they were simply overrun... The detailed hangers were not geared towards the circular economy was the reason why they didn't take part. Then that should probably be changed.

They are not available here either, I would have to go to Davos, Ilanz, L.heide or Valbella, Vilters, which doesn't need to be discussed any further.

I agree with the previous speakers. I was quite dismayed when I suddenly found the new tetra packs on the shelf. The possibility of recycling the PE bottles was one of the main reasons why I bought this particular product. As it is obviously not yet clear when and if a tetra pack collection system will be introduced in Switzerland, I think this changeover is clearly premature.

Disposal in normal household waste not an issue? 🤔

That's right, they could be disposed of there, but why should they go in there? In Germany, for example, they are taken apart and all the contents are recycled, it's a shame that Switzerland can't manage it. 😒

Hello alalea, thank you for your question. Of course we understand your displeasure that you now have to dispose of the bottles in household waste. Migros does not categorically reject the collection of drinks cartons. However, it is still too early to say more about this. If the infrastructural, technical and financial hurdles can be overcome, the ecological balance improves and there is also a great customer need, Migros will consider introducing a voluntary collection of beverage cartons. Best regards, your M-Infoline team

Hello Goeoenk, the organic UHT milk must be treated with a direct heat treatment system (UP) in order to meet the Bio-Suisse standards. It is known and unavoidable that this UP system causes a slight sediment on the underside of the packaging. This deposit consists mainly of milk proteins and is therefore perfectly edible and not a sign of a defect in the product. Kind regards, your M-Infoline team

Shake gently, check beforehand that the lid is tightly closed.

Hello bonthala, according to food law, milk may only be labeled as cow's milk; if it is another animal species, this must be noted. In other words, it is exclusively cow's milk. Best regards, your M-Infoline team