Meat Packaging 257beef that is bright red in color and pack -
aged with the traditional PVC overwrap.
Nevertheless, it is encouraging that the initial
perceptions of quality will likely not bias
eating satisfaction once a decision to pur-
chase is made and the meat is taken home,
thereby hastening the acceptance of the
newer packaging technologies (Carpenter
et al. 2001 ). Additionally, meat processing
and packaging technologies that are accepted
by the market and adopted by the industry
will have to become more effi cient, consis-
tent, and leaner in activity if future global
challenges are to be met. Low - oxygen pack-
aging technologies will continue to evolve as
long as they can successfully and economi-
cally enable the wider distribution of cen-
trally packaged fresh meat (Eilert 2005 ).
It is critical that we understand the factors
that will have the largest infl uence on the
evolution of meat packaging. The demand
for convenience foods will continue to be
fueled by the aging of our population, the
diminished cooking skills of the typical con-
sumer, and the reduced time available for
home preparation of meals. The ability of
materials to offer fl exibility in primary pro-
cessing as well as reheating at home will be
critical (Eilert 2005 ).
The volatility of oil prices has a direct
effect on the cost of traditional petrochemi-
cal - based packaging materials. Also, the
environmental considerations of disposing of
traditional packaging after use have become
center stage in recent years with respect to
green solutions to modern living. The
increased costs of petroleum will continue to
drive the demands for bio - based packaging
materials. Consumer demand for more envi-
ronmentally friendly packaging and more
natural products will also create increased
demand for packaging from biodegradable
and renewable resources (Cutter 2006 ). Even
though food manufacturers cannot eliminate
packaging, they can redesign packages to
reduce the amount of material used or to
incorporate newly developed materials suchconsume. Poor labeling by the supermarkets
has resulted in a swing back toward the
local butcher, where meat traceability is
transparent and promoted as a selling point;
in addition, green issues relating to product
movement to markets (air miles) and support
for local product producers has encouraged
this same trend. The impact of such develop-
ing trends on the pre - pack sales of meat at
the supermarket level remains to be seen.
Mize and Kelly (2004) reported the trends
in fresh meat packaging at retail level in the
United States. They found that in 2002, 69%
of the linear footage of the self - service meat
case was occupied by fresh meat and poultry.
This fi gure declined to 63% in 2004, refl ect-
ing a growing conversion of meat items to
products with greater consumer convenience,
such as fully cooked entrees and marinated
meats, as well as hams and sausages. They
also reported an increase in packages that
were case ready, from 49% in 2002 to 60%
in 2004.
As stated earlier, high O 2 MAP is now
used ubiquitously across the meat industry
for many different meat products.
Alternatively, low O 2 packaging systems
have been readily available in the United
States, but not as widely implemented as the
high O 2 counterparts. Vacuum packaging
continues to be, in many cases, the most cost -
effective packaging strategy. A relatively
recent innovation in vacuum packaging has
been the evolution of shrinkable fi lms in use
with horizontal form - fi ll - seal machinery
(Salvage and Lipsky 2004 ). This packaging
format uses a polystyrene or polypropylene
tray and uses a barrier fi lm that can form
around the product to reduce any amount of
purge coming out of the product. An addi-
tional web of fi lm or a header can also be
added for pre - pricing and pre - labeling
(Belcher 2006 ).
As the meat industry moves toward central
processing that employs MAP and Vacuum -
Skin Packaging (VSP), processors may need
to overcome consumer preference for fresh