Meat Packaging Oxygen Valves enable item-level oxygenation

New Avery Dennison Flexis(TM) Oxygen Valves Enable Item-Level Oxygenation of Beef and Pork

New Avery Dennison Flexis(TM) Oxygen Valves Enable Item-Level Oxygenation of Beef and Pork.

Meat managers, packaging engineers and marketing directors seeking materials savings, greater cube utilization and more efficient ways of controlling meat bloom at the retail level will find a powerful new solution from Avery Dennison at Interpack 2011, Stand B69, Hall 11. Making its global debut is the multi-functional Avery Dennison Flexis(TM) Oxygen Valve, which permits item-level oxygenation of beef and pork.

"The new Avery Dennison Flexis Oxygen Valve is a multi-level solution to oxygenating meats," says Nick Greco, business development manager, Avery Dennison Designed and Engineered Solutions. "It delivers both operations and marketing advantages over more conventional packaging and shipping methods, which require meat packages to be oxygenated for case display in quantities of a dozen or more at a time, rather than item by item, as needed."

Flexis Oxygen Valve Operations Benefits
From an operations perspective, the Flexis Oxygen Valve gives retailers greater control over when packaged meat will bloom for placement in display cases. Retailers using the Avery Dennison Flexis Oxygen Valve method to oxygenate meat receive their products in individual trays, each covered with a clear high-barrier lidding film equipped with the two-part valve. The valve's upper layer, which functions as an integral part of the protective lidding film, can be clear or printed. When that layer is peeled away, it reveals a second, permeable layer that permits the entry of oxygen. Packages of meat can be oxygenated one at a time, allowing retailers the flexibility to pick for the display case any number of packages that arrived in a shipment. Also, unlike other technologies on the market today, once the top layer of the FlexisTM Oxygen valve is removed it does not require the entire package to be relabeled. All the labels applied at the meat processor remain intact until the product is open by the consumer.

"Item-level oxygenation yields a significant shelf life advantage for the remaining packages in a shipment," Greco explains, "because packages that are not selected for immediate oxygenation will remain fresh for a longer period. When the valve's upper portion is eventually removed, as much as a few days later, the meat will then bloom into that robust red color that attracts consumer attention in the retail environment."

The Flexis Oxygen Valve method of oxygenating meat also helps facilitate packaging materials savings over alternative methods of packaging meat, such as the use of a "mother bag." Both the mother bag and an oxygen scavenger are eliminated with the Flexis valve method, which requires only that packaged meat be shipped in cartons, not in bags. Meat processors will also see a savings in the amount of gas used when flushing individual packages verses a large mother bag. Companies looking for sustainable savings both in packaging materials costs and in terms of an environmental benefit will find the Flexis Oxygen Valve an investment that yields multiple dividends.

Flexis Oxygen Valves also offer operations benefits in terms of shipping and handling costs. Packages equipped with Flexis Oxygen Valves are shipped in cartons, not in bags, and therefore lend their respective packages to more stable and efficient storage and transport. More of the product can be stored on a cube and evenly distributed which can help reduce shipping expenses.

Flexis Oxygen Valve Marketing Benefits
The underlying permeable layer of Flexis Oxygen Valves can be printed with logos and promotional messaging pertaining to discounts or quality. The valve's functionality comes into play when its upper layer is removed to permit oxygenation and the product is placed in the display case. The valve looks like a typical label on a package of meat and can serve as a sales stimulus at the time consumers are evaluating the product for purchase.

Source: Avery Dennison