Cured meat packaging: A whole system approach to the food product centric packaging solutions

Cured meat products are largely consumed as packaged food; however, their single-use packaging is made up of multilayer and multi-material fossil-based plastics to achieve the desired shelf life. While advanced recycling technologies are being developed, in the existing practices, these materials cannot be processed together, and their sorting and treatment are not only technically complicated or even impossible but also very expensive. Single-use plastic packaging and its waste are growing environmental, climate, and health concerns, but the packaging is only responsible for a portion of the entire waste and carbon footprint in food-packaging systems. Hence, the transformative sustainability change can only be achieved when the entire food and packaging supply chain can be fully addressed, food shelf life is not compromised by more sustainable packaging solutions and effective packaging waste management practices are implemented. Therefore, priority should be given to designing packaging with a product-centric approach and circular mindset for putting an end to wasteful packaging from the beginning, rather than handling waste at the end and investing more in emerging recycling technologies. When designing more sustainable concepts and materials (e.g. reusable, recycled, compostable packaging) food safety should be the first consideration that makes food packaging a unique challenge for several stakeholders. This review provides a comprehensive overview of current market packaging trends, and promising packaging solutions for cured meat, including a detailed elaboration on the status quo in processed meat packaging that can assist the industry and other key players in the direction of fewer resources and less waste.