Fresh meat packaging is gaining significant traction nowadays due to the characteristics such as longer shelf life, cost-effectiveness, and more efficient packaging offering. Many of the retailers and butchers are shifting to use effective barrier or shrink films as a packaging solution, as the films have high tear resistance and high yield. Moreover, moisture-free packaging is the major concern among many end users for ensuring their product safety and shelf life.
Machine automation is the new future, which allows vacuum enabled packaging of meat products. This increases speed of packaging and speed ups production activities ensuring maximum productivity of the organisation. Therefore, lucrative sales opportunities are expected for fresh meat packaging in near future.
The adoption of clear packaging formats by fresh meat packaging manufacturers is seen currently. The reason behind the plan is to boost sales as transparent packaging helps in product visibility and in gaining consumer trust. Since it is suspected that the novel coronavirus may have originated from animals, stakeholders have become more aware about maintaining the safety of meat. There is a high chance of transmission of Covid-19 from food and food packaging. Hence, companies in the fresh meat packaging market are educating their logistics partners and other stakeholders in the value chain to avoid cross contamination while packaging the meat.
Transparency of a package is very important, as it indicates product quality. The demand for transparent packaging is on a high scale, especially in the food and beverages industry. Thus, the clear packaging of the product helps consumers to make comparative decisions, while choosing one out of two competitors product. Transparent packaging are manufactured by using films, as they offer gloss and superior clarity to the package. This also saves labelling, printing, and other additive costs over packaging, as majority of the outer surface is meant to offer evident and see-through packaging. A considerate number of consumers make buying decisions at the point of purchase, which is likely to be influenced by packaging. Therefore, the adoption of such packaging solutions is likely to boost the sale of fresh meat packaging in the market.
Technological advancements and high automated lines have unlocked certain opportunities for the fresh meat packaging manufacturers. A latest technique that is high pressure processing (HPP) does not involve heat, while packaging of meat. This is a post-processing technique, which offers cold pasteurisation. In this technique, the packed meat products are put through a high level of isotactic pressure. The high pressure processing technique is basically used for extending the shelf life of meat. Several retailers and meat producers benefit in their business due to this innovative packaging technique, which can help them in differentiating themselves from their competitors.
A balance between sustainability and performance is being met by companies in the fresh meat packaging market that are becoming aware about consumer concerns for polystyrene foam tray covered with plastic film. Packaging companies are incorporating more recycled materials in their solutions to achieve consumer’s sustainability goals. They are producing bio-plastics and molded fiber materials to meet performance requirements in packaging to keep the meat fresh for consumption.
The global fresh meat packaging market is highly fragmented in nature. A large share of the market is held by domestic and local market players. Some of the key players operating in the global fresh meat packaging market are Mondi Plc., Amcor Plc, Berry Global Group Inc., Coveris Holdings S.A., Winpak Ltd., Sealed Air Corporation, Bollore Group, Cascades Inc., Amerplast Ltd. and R.Faerch Plast A/S.