Container for packaging perishable food items

Abstract

There is provided a container for packaging a perishable food item, such as meat, particularly fresh red meat. The container has a tubular body portion that is closed at one end and has a tubular body portion. The other end of the tubular body portion has an open mouth and has a cross-section preferably substantially equal to that of the body portion. The cross-section of the tubular body portion may have a variety of shapes. In a preferred embodiment, the tubular body portion has a flat bottom. The flat bottom may have an undulating profile at each side forming trough-like areas to accumulate the juices from the meat. Another embodiment has a more or less cylindrical shaped tubular body portion. While a third embodiment is a container having a tubular body portion formed in a more or less rectangular cross-section. The open end serves as a mouth by which the container is filled with a food item, such as by using an automatic chute and plunger. The open mouth is closed by sealing a film of heat sealable material over the opening and/or by an endcap.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to containers for packaging perishable food items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container for packaging case ready meats that maximizes product visibility, maximizes retail display case usage, can be easily opened or re-sealed, and provides for optimum usage of packaging material. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] In decades past, meat in grocery store display cases was typically store cut and ground on site. In contrast, case-ready meats are prepackaged in plants and delivered to supermarkets, which affords retailers several advantages. One of the main advantages of using case-ready meats is that it eliminates further processing at the store. This allows retailers to reduce labor costs and increase profitability. Retailers are able to keep meat counters stocked late at night, on holidays, and through weekends. Additionally, case-ready meats allow reta...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] It has been found that the foregoing objects may be accomplished in accordance with this invention by providing a container and method for packaging perishable food items—particularly case-ready meats—incorporating the use of a container made from blow-molded or profile-extruded thermoplastic barrier material and sealing the open end. The uniqueness of the package is the type of container used, how the container is made and also how the container is loaded and displayed. In general, the container has a high aspect ratio and the open area of the container is smaller than the non-open portion of the container.

[0015] In a first embodiment of the invention there is provided a container for packaging a perishable food item such as meat. The container has a tubular body portion that is closed at one end. The other end of the tubular body portion has an open mouth for inserting the food product and has a cross-section preferably substantially equal to that of the body portion. The cross-section of the tubular body portion may take a variety of shapes but one preferred embodiment has a flat bottom. The flat bottom may have an undulating profile at each side forming trough-like areas to accumulate the juices from the meat. In another embodiment, the cross-section of the tubular portion has a bottom, sides that extend slightly outwardly and an arcuate top. Yet another embodiment has a more or less cylindrical shaped tubular body portion. A third embodiment is a container having a tubular body portion formed in a more or less rectangular cross-section. The tubular body portion is closed at one end. The other end of the tubular body portion has an open mouth. The container is filled through the open mouth with a food item. One example of such a filling process is by using a chute and plunger. The open mouth is closed by sealing a film of material over the opening and / or by an endcap that can be attached by screw threads or formed around the body of the container. When packaging meat, once the meat is inserted in the container, the atmosphere in the container may be manipulated to achieve desired storage and display conditions.

[0016] These containers have no flanges to waste display area. The invention is designed to minimize the surface area of the container needed to display a certain amount of meat in a display case. Accordingly, the container lacks large flanges that waste display case area. In one embodiment, the body portion of the container has a relatively small flange portion that projects from the periphery of the mouth opening so that a lid can be attached.

Problems solved by technology

Current meat trays typically waste a great deal of space in retail display cases.

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