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Tesco are beefing up security in their stores by putting electronic tags on bags of mince.

The supermarket giant made the move after thieves started to target their meat packs.

It is believed there has been a spate of mince raids at stores in the Glasgow area, prompting bosses to start using the security tags to stop shoplifters.

The devices are normally fitted to expensive items such as electronics or whisky and trigger an alarm if stolen.

As well as £3 bags of mince, Tesco stores in some parts of Glasgow have also started to use the tags on £3.24 sirloin steaks and £3 chicken fillets.

Stores in England have also begun to put the stick-on tags on £1.97 bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk to prevent shoplifters stealing them from the confectionary aisle.

In 2009, some stores placed tags on Cathedral City cheese.

A Tesco spokesman explained that the move was not universal and individual stores decided which products to tag. He said: "For years, certain products have always been tagged.

"If a store has a problem with meat theft, then action will be taken."

One shopper said: "You don't know whether to condemn or pity someone who is so desperate they need to steal a bag of mince.

"The sad fact is that there are a lot of people becoming increasingly desperate out there.

"They must be either selling the goods on or using the food to feed themselves and their families."

It is not known if Glasgow is the only city where Tesco is tagging mince.

A spokeswoman for Morrisons last night said the chain had no plans to tag minced beef.

She added: "We would generally roll something like this out across all our stores if we were going to do it but, so far as I know, there are no plans to change our security arrangements."