Use-case 4 update about the reusable tray for meat packaging 

▶ It is led by Dawn Meats, one of Europe’s largest food processing companies, providing added-value meat products to important retailers all over the continent.

▶ It is about the development of a #vacuum #skinpack meat tray for the packaging of beef steaks. Meat skinpack packaging is a vacuum-sealed packaging method that tightly packs the product between a tray and a thin film, enhancing its shelf life by maintaining an oxygen-free environment.

▶ After 22 months since the start of the project, the partners have been able to achieve the following:

- Echobrand has designed a reusable skinpack tray, adding the key attributes to ensure its stability during reuse as well as an easy consumer experience.

- Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is leading the technical development of the reusable trays including material selection, design validation, reusable sealing solutions and manufacture. An initial batch of thermoformed trays will be produced shortly for further cleaning and sealing validation trials.

- Christeyns and ETERNITY SYSTEMS, to guarantee the safety of the new reusable packaging, have defined optimal cleaning and disinfection procedures targeted to the fresh beef organic residues.

- CTCPA - Centre Technique Agroalimentaire and LNE are leading the chemical safety and risk assessment related to microplastic release, assuring the physicochemical stability and food contact safety of the trays.

- Searious Business has produced a Cost-Benefit Analysis and The University of Sheffield a preliminary Life Cycle Assessment for the use case.

- Dawn Meats will use Vytal | The reuse system technology to track the packaging in the use case trial.

- TUS, in collaboration with IPC - Centre Technique Industriel de la Plasturgie et des Composites and AIMPLAS · Technological Institute of Plastics will then demonstrate the recyclability of these reusable trays.

▶ How will the returnable system work out?

During the demonstration, Dawn Meats will have the opportunity to test a reusable tray with a single-use recyclable film. This tray will be filled on its packaging line and transported to a food service client who will handle it in the kitchen.