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Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh meats–sudden partial adaptation caused an increase in sustainability of dutch supply chains of fresh meats
Author(s) -
Thoden van Velzen E. U.,
Linnemann A.R.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.776
Subject(s) - modified atmosphere , sustainability , business , product (mathematics) , production (economics) , consumption (sociology) , supply chain , commerce , meat packing industry , adaptation (eye) , food science , agricultural science , agricultural economics , marketing , environmental science , economics , shelf life , chemistry , mathematics , ecology , physics , social science , geometry , macroeconomics , sociology , optics , biology
In the past decade, a major transition evolved in the Dutch fresh meat industry with ramifications for the entire meat business. In 1995, more than 95% of all fresh meat products for consumers were either sold loose or packed in the traditional way, i.e. on a white styrofoam tray with stretch wrap. Almost a decade later, about half of the meat industry has adapted the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology. Strikingly, the first trials with this technology had already been conducted in The Netherlands in 1964, but it took four decades for the technology to conquer the Dutch meat industry. This paper argued that the partial adaptation of MAP diminished the product losses in fresh meat sales and hence the environmental impact of meat production and consumption. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.