Retail Packaging Systems for Fresh Red Meat Cuts

In order to evaluate present and future retail packaging systems, it is necessary to review past fresh red meat (FRM) packaging systems. Prior to 1967, whole beef carcass shipments were traditionally made to retail outlets where carcasses were fabricated into retail items by butchers in individual stores. The "boxed beef" concept was introduced in 1967, dramatically changing beef processing, distribution and retail fabrication, without affecting retail presentation to the consumer. The basis for the boxed beef concept was vacuum packaging in oxygen barrier materials. Vacuum packaging provided a method of prolonging the shelf life and palatability of beef during extended periods of shipment and storage (Seideman and Durland, 1983) over conventional whole carcass distribution. Presently, beef carcasses are fabricated into primal or sub-primal cuts, vacuum packaged and boxed. Vacuumpackaged boxed beef is then distributed to retail outlets where these primals and subprimals are fabricated into consumer units, ovewrapped in oxygen-permeable film on polystyrene foam trays and displayed for sale. Boxed beef developed rapidly and changed beef distribution dramatically in the United States. In addition to beef, vacuum-packaged boxed pork and lamb followed in the 1970's (Breidenstein, 1982; Terlizzi, 1982). In 1986, approximately 84% of all beef processed in the U.S.A. is vacuum packaged. Currently, vacuum packaging is the standard method of packaging FRM for wholesale and institutional markets. Investigations into new, improved and more cost-effective packaging systems are currently being explored. Additionally, new systems for retail packaging of FRM are requiring interest at the packer level. These changes will require the adaptation of centrally pre-packaged FRM consumer units. Fresh red meat is one of the few major food products processed and re-packaged at the retail level. It is costly for retail outlets to equip, maintain and staff complete butcher areas. Small in-store volumes, coupled with increasing equipment and labor costs, will promote changes to central prepackaging where personnel, equipment, material costs and quality can be more efficiently controlled. One of the first centrally prepackaged meat products was sliced luncheon meats, in the 1950's and 1960's. Later,