After extensive field testing, Sealed Air’s latest offering for the fresh poultry market is now available for club and grocery stores.

Developed in collaboration with a key customer, the saddle pack-style package configuration - made from a unique Cryovac rollstock material creating a new packaging format for poultry parts - offers versatility for meal preparation and easy storage, the company says.
Made from a special Cryovac breathable, rollstock thermoform film that can also be configured into a lay-flat format, this saddle pack poultry package provides a variety of options at home in the kitchen. The package consists of six perforated pockets enabling consumers to easily separate portions for meal preparation. “The consumer simply selects the amount of poultry - each pocket contains two pieces - needed to prepare a meal. The remaining portions can be refrigerated or frozen in the original packaging and stored for later use. There is no need to rewrap the product and its vacuum packaging protects the food from freezer burn. This feature makes the saddle pack an ideal choice for small families and empty nesters,” a company spokesman says.
The highly breathable material is offered both as non-forming and formable webs in multiple gauges. The saddle pack style package is a hermetically sealed multi-unit vacuum package that is leak-resistant, ensuring fewer leakers throughout distribution and in the retail case. Poultry cases and checkout scanners stay cleaner and more sanitary, and shoppers do not have to handle wet, sticky packages. An additional benefit for shoppers is a clear view of the product through both sides of the package.
Easy open options are available to enhance consumer convenience. Graphics and cooking information can be printed on the non-forming top web in up to eight colours, giving the package outstanding retail appeal. The saddle pack is suitable for both bone-in and boneless poultry portions.
In another development, Sealed Air unveiled the Flat-Sheet Barrier cook-in casing system, created by its Cryovac Food Packaging Division and Tipper Tie, saying it delivered the next generation of cook-in casing technology.
The Flat-Sheet Barrier cook-in casing system forms casings in-line from flat rollstock film, eliminating the costly shirring process and dramatically reducing interruptions in stuffing to reload casings. This can result in up to a 33 per cent increase in actual production time. More continuous production also means less operator involvement.
“Cryovac Flat-Sheet barrier casings provide both oxygen and moisture barriers for maximum protection, in addition to withstanding the high abuse associated with cooking, cooling, loading and shipping. Unlike fibrous casings, plastic films protect products from atmospheric bacteria,” the company spokesman stressed.
The Flat-Sheet Barrier cook-in casings work with the Tipper Tie HS3AB automatic heat-sealing machine.