WASHINGTON -- The American Meat Institute has unveiled a new, consumer-friendly video about meat packaging technologies designed to educate consumers about the packaging options available in today's marketplace and how they have changed over time.
The video features Dr. Randy Huffman, AMI Foundation vice president of scientific affairs, discussing a variety of meat packaging options, ranging from store-cut and wrapped products to more recently introduced 'modified atmosphere packaging' in both high-oxygen and low-oxygen formats.
The video is posted on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Iq5U7hxlU or may be accessed through AMI's web sites http://www.meatsafety.org or http://www.meatami.com.
The video is the latest offering in AMI's consumer education programs. AMI earlier introduced http://www.meatmattersinfo.org, a new series of consumer brochures on key topics in the news. Included in the "Meat Matters" series is a brochure about case ready meats and another that assists consumers in understanding product dating and why these dates are important in ensuring a good eating experience.
"Given the recent focus on how meat is packaged, meat color and use-by dates, we produced this video piece to help consumers understand the evolution and innovation that is occurring in packaging. This innovation is helping to keep meat fresher longer and to keep it good tasting," AMI President J. Patrick Boyle said.
"Case ready meat products" are produced in federally inspected meat plants and sealed so they may be placed directly into retail cases. The seal is not broken until they reach the consumer's home. These products come in a variety of different packaging formats including vacuum packaging, chub packaging and modified atmosphere packaging in which the ratio of gases in air is modified within the package to maintain freshness and appeal.
"These products offer distinct benefits both to consumers and retailers," Boyle said. "We hope that these new materials will assist our customers in understanding the benefits these products offer and in making choices that will ultimately satisfy them.
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