GB2340105A - Vacuum-wrapped meat product in a box - Google Patents

Description

2340105 PACKAGED MEAT PRODUCTS This invention has to do with packaged meat

products and methods of packaging meat products.

Currently meat is retailed either unpackaged (as in a butcher's shop), in a plastics tray which has been covered with film under a hygienically modified atmosphere (as in the supermarkets), or in a vacuum-pack (bacon joints and the like).

What we propose here is a packaged meat product in which an outer cardboard box encloses one or more pieces of meat vacuum-wrapped in polymeric film.

A front face of the box preferably has at least one window opening revealing the vacuum-wrapped meat within.

Such a window opening may be at an intermediate position on the front face, i.e. with portions of the front face extending both above and below the window for secure retention of the contents. Desirably the front face is not more than 50% window in area. The window area can be open for best visibility, since the meat within is in a sealed package and needs no further protection. Or, a transparent film may be secured across the window if desired.

The outer box is preferably of a flat shape, typically substantially rectangular, with major (wider) front and rear faces joined by minor (narrower) side and end faces. Generally it is preferred that the box encloses the vacuum-wrapped meat spch that the latter cannot be withdrawn without opening the box e.g. by opening a closure flap, which may be adhesively sealed.

Such a closure flap may be provided at one or both ends of the box, for example. From this point of view the box may have a relatively open construction, preferably provided that the vacuum-wrapped meat is effectively confined within it.

Typical dimensions for the outer box may be as follows:

Length: at least 10, preferably at least 15cm; up to 35cm, more preferably up to 30cm.

Width: at least 8cm, preferably at least llcm; up to 18 cm, more preferably up to 16cm.

Depth: 1.5cm to 6cm.

These dimensions need not be constant, ie the box need not be a true cuboid. In particular the depth will vary if the box has convex faces, so that for example the depth at the centre of the box is preferably at least 2.5cm.

The packaging typically contains from one to four, preferably one or two pieces of meat. Meat pieces of flat shape are generally appropriate. Meat in the form of steaks, eg of red meat or pork, is particularly envisaged. The packaging may be useful also with poultry breast fillets or indeed with fish. Furthermore the concept is also applicable with non-flat articles such as small joints, in which case the "depth" dimension of the box may vary in accordance with the "width" dimension ranges mentioned above.

Usually the meat will be uncooked.

It is strongly preferred to provide a backing sheet for the meat piece(s) as a mechanical support and/or to retain meat juices. The backing sheet may be in the form of a tray, with an upturned edge. -A suitable material for the backing sheet is a plastics material. The backing sheet may preferably have any of indentations, ribs, corrugations and up-turned edges to stiffen an otherwise flexible layer. The backing sheet preferably lies directly against the piece of meat, as part of the vacuum wrapped package. Desirably the backing sheet extends out to adjacent the edges of the outer box, and so holds the meat piece(s) in position relative thereto.

The backing sheet may be clear. When it projects beyond the meat piece(s), however, it is preferably in a colour contrasting with that of the meat e.g. white.

The vacuum-wrapping of meat pieces in transparent polymer film is in itself a routine operation and need not be described in detail here. The packing film may entirely envelop the meat and optional backing sheet.

or, where a backing sheet is used,,the film may surround the meat only partially and seal onto the backing sheet such that between them they constitute a vacuum-sealed package.

The insertion of the vacuum-wrapped package into the board box can be a routine packing operation and the particular method may be chosen according to convenience and cost.

The present proposals provide an attractive format for the presentation of vacuum-packed meat. At present a popular format for supermarkets is MAP (modified atmosphere packaged) meat under film on polystyrene trays, because this is visually attractive to customers.

is However the shelf-life is short. Vacuum-packing is not in favour for pork and red meat because the appearance is considered less attractive. However vacuum-packing offers real practical advantages in shelf-life and hence in actual product quality and safety. The present proposals make available a useful and visually attractive format, in that the outer box lends itself to be conveniently designed and illustrated to describe its contents, for example with a printed picture and/or recipe suggestions, and preferably in combination with a view of a selected region of the actual contents through one or more windows as described above. At the same time the box - unlike for example the cardboard sleeves used on microwaveable containers - can fully enclose the meat (which is a high-value product)and so help to prevent theft.

one useful option is for the outer box to enclose an auxiliary inner packet contained an additional food or garnish to be eaten as an accompaniment to the meat, for example a sauce. The auxiliary inner package may be for example a plastic sachet, preferably a transparent one.

The outer box may furthermore provide a window or an auxiliary window revealing the auxiliary inner package.

A method, comprising the vacuum-packaging of the meat piece(s) and optional backing sheet followed by enclosing the vacuum-wrapped pack in the board box, is an independent aspect of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying designs in which Fig.1 shows a blank for an outer cardboard box; Fig.2 shows stages in packing a piece of meat, and Fig.3 and Fig.4 are schematical plan views of different embodiments of the finished package.

Fig.1 shows an unfolded blank 3' for a board box 3 used in a first embodiment of the invention, and shown partly and fully assembled in Fig.2(c) and Fig.3. It has rectangular major front and rear services 31,32, narrow rectangular side surfaces 33 providing depth to the box, and rectangular end flaps 34 which may alternatively (broken lines) have convex edges causing the assembled box 3 to be deeper in its centre than at the sides.

In this embodiment the major faces 31,32 are about 28cm long and 14cm wide, and the depth of the box about 3cm.

The front face 31 of the box has a window 35 for viewing the contents of the box. In this embodiment the window occupies about 25% of the front face and is completely surrounded by regions of the front face, including top and bottom projections 36,37 into the window area which help to prevent the contents from being withdrawn through the window.

The weight of the board is not critical and may be selected at convenience. The blank can be cut and folded using conventional packing technology, and the side flaps 33 and end flaps 34,39 secured to close the container using conventional sealing e.g. by hot-melt adhesive.

Fig.2 illustrates preparation of a piece of meat 1, in this example a sirloin steak, by placing it on a thin, white opaque plastics backing tray 12 having an upturned rim for stiffness. The meat 1 and tray 12 are then 7 vacuum-wrapped together in a thick transparent polymeric film 2 forming an inner vacuum-wrapped package 20 which is then put in the outer box 3. The rectangular backing tray is white and occupies essentially the entire area of the box. It therefore provides a good visual contrast for the red meat. It also prevents it from shifting to and fro in the box. In the optional convex box construction (broken lines) an effect of the arcuate fold lines of the end flaps 34 is that they are bistable as between the fully opened position marked 34 in Fig.2(c) and the closed position 34'; this facilitates filling and then helps to keep the package shut until it is ready for sealing.

As shown in Fig.3 the inner meat package 20 occupies at least, and preferably substantially more than 50% of the plan area inside the box 3. Part of it can easily be seen through the window 35, but the regions surrounding the window 35 at the end flaps help prevent withdrawal of the inner package 20 even if an extended backing sheet does not do so. Furthermore the box 3 is printed to enhance the presentation of the product. For example the panels formed by the window projections 36, 37 may carry pictures of the product either prepared or unprepared, and/or trade mark matter. The name of the product can be stated in the space below the window. A panel 38 8 indicated in Fig.1 serves to record the weight, price per kg and price of the product in the,conventional way. The reverse 32 is printed with a suitable recipe.

Fig.4 shows a variant in which the outer box 3 additionally contains a sealed plastic sachet 41 containing a sauce suitable for the meat, and the front face 31 of the box has not only the main window 3S revealing the inner vacuum-wrapped meat package 20 but also an auxiliary corner window 40 revealing the sauce in its transparent sachet 41.

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Claims (14)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A packaged meat product in which an outer boar+ox encloses one

   or more pieces of meat vacuum-wrapped using polymeric film. 5
2. 2. A packaged meat product according to claim 1 in which a front face of the box has at least one window opening revealing the vacuum-wrapped meat within.
3. 3. A packaged meat product according to claim 2 in which the vacuumwrapped meat extends beyond the window opening in opposite directions.
4. 4. A packaged meat product according to any one of 15 claims 1 to 3 in which the board box is substantially rectangular.
5. 5. A packaged meat product according to any one of the preceding claims in which the board box has one or more 20 sealed closure flaps, openable for withdrawal of the vacuum-wrapped meat in use.
6. 6. A packaged meat product according to any one of the preceding claims in which the vacuum-wrapped meat lies on 25 a backing sheet.
7. 7. A packaged meat product according to claim 7 in which the backing sheet is a stiff.sheet of plastics material.
8. 8. A packaged meat product according to claim 7 or 8 in which the backing sheet contacts directly against the piece(s) of meat as part of the vacuum-wrapped entity.
9. 9. A packaged meat product according to any one of
10. 10 claims 6 to 8 in which the backing sheet contacts opposed sides of the box to hold the meat piece(s) in position. 10. A packaged meat product according to any one of the preceding claims in which the box encloses an auxiliary 15 inner packet containing an additional food or garnish to be eaten with the meat.
11. 11. A packaged meat product according to claim 10 in which the box has an auxiliary window partially revealing 20 the auxiliary inner packet.
12. 12. A method of preparing a packaged meat product according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising (a) the vacuum- packaging of the meat pieces and optional 25 backing sheet, and/or (b) the enclosing of the vacuum- wrapped meat piece(s) in the box.
13. 13. A packaged meat product substantially as described and shown herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. 14. A method of preparing a packaged meat product substantially as described and shown herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.