Recently, I asked if barrier film performance is living up to the expectations of the marketplace.

New shelf-life extenders mesh perfectly with consumers' continuing desire for convenience, food safety and prevention of food waste. The key? Their packaging technology.

In the U.S., water immersion chilling (WC) is commonly used to chill poultry while other regions of the world, such as the European Union (E.U.), prefer air chilling (AC).

For the extension of meat shelf life, a trend toward natural plant extracts such as rosemary, green tea and acerola extract has occurred.

Demand for vacuum skin packaging (VSP), which is divided between form-fill-seal and fill-seal options, is driven by increasing sales of chicken and fresh seafood products. Advantages of VSP include product differentiation and color preservation.

The latest development for antioxidant ingredients used for meat and poultry products is a better understanding of how the animal proteins spoil and the development of antioxidant combinations for superior shelf-life extension.

Tray packaging has been used for meat, poultry and seafood products for decades. Yet, even though it is well-established, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the status quo for the packaging type or style. New designs and technology are improving performance and eliminating the need for components such as absorbent pads, thereby streamlining the packaging operation and eliminating the cost of the pad and the risk of the product picking up fibers from the pads.

Global packaging supplier Advanta recently demonstrated a packaging breakthrough to extend the shelf life of a pork rib ready meal.

The increasingly lengthier distance and time between slaughtering and consumption has created a demand for a variety of ways to safeguard meat and extend shelf life. Particular shelf-life extending ingredient groups have benefited from these demands.

The first thing customers see relative to a package of your product is the external appearance. A big part of your external appearance is your label. An attractive label will catch the eye of potential new customers and remind loyal customers of why they like your product.