11- Meat Packaging Systems

This is the historic way that most beef, pork, and lamb has been packaged for the retail marketplace.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Plastic rigid trays offer recycling options for the tray.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) overwrapped plastic foam trays

meat is prepared and packaged in a central location and is boxed and delivered to the retail store. The packaged meat then is placed in retail display cases just like any other grocery item.

case-ready packaging

Groups of PVC-overwrapped steaks or roasts are placed in a large plastic bag, the air is drawn out, and is back-flushed with a mixture of three

Master packaged PVC-overwrapped steaks/roasts

Individual steaks, chops, roasts are placed on rigid or semi-rigid low-profile or flat trays and are vacuum packaged with roll-stock machine where the top film forms over the contour of the cut.

Vacuum skin packaging (VSP)

Individual steaks, chops, roasts are placed in rigid high-profile trays, air is evacuated, and package is backflushed with mixtures of gases before

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

Used widely where bench trimmings and/or chubs of coarse-ground trimmings are run through a meat grinder in the backroom of the retail store.

PVC-overwrapped packages

Tubes of 1-, 2-, 5- or 10-pounds of ground beef that range in lean:fat ratios (e.g., 70% lean:30% fat; 80% lean:20% fat; 96% lean:4% fat) and source (e.g., ground beef, ground round, ground sirloin, ground chuck).

Chub packages

Cubes of one-pound packages that are vacuum packaged with roll-stock machine. Cavity formed in the bottom film, product placed in the cavity, vacuum packaged and covered with top film. After labeling, package is displayed with the bottom film on top and the top film on bottom.

Brick packages

Roll-stock vacuum packaging

Cavity is formed in the bottom film, steaks are placed in the cavity, vacuum is formed, and top film is sealed.

• Help bag conform to the surface of meat to reduce flex cracks

• Helps eliminate pockets where purge can accumulate

• Thickens bag to add to puncture resistance

• Improves oxygen barrier properties

Heat shrinking

• For fresh beef, pork, and lamb, most are vacuum packaged using heat-shrink packages.

• Heat-shrink packages, as the name implies, have the ability to shrink around the product

when exposed to heat, either by air (400°F) or by water (200°F).

• Non-heat-shrink packages, as they name implies, do not have the ability to shrink once they

have been manufactured. These are most commonly used for processed products such as

jerky, cheese, etc.

Vacuum packaging