One of the UK’s leading supermarkets has, this week, announced its plans to release ‘touch-free’ packaging after research revealed that many millennials have a phobia of handling raw meat.
From the beginning of May, Sainsbury’s will be packaging its chicken chunks in ‘touch-free’ pouches in response to the findings of a survey that showed many under 35s feel anxious about the prospect of handling uncooked meat.
While a number of sophisticated food packaging designs already in use have significantly helped to reduce the risk of food contamination in recent years, the fear of contracting food poisoning after touching raw meat was one of the main reasons given by those who took part in the research. Consequently, Sainsbury’s new packaging will enable shoppers to cook meat without directly touching it by simply tearing open the top of the ‘touch-free’ pouch and squeezing out the contents straight into a pan or dish.
Sainsbury’s product development manager for meat, fish and poultry, Katherine Hall, shared her thoughts on the new packaging with The Sunday Times and said: “Customers, particularly younger ones, are quite scared of touching raw meat. These bags allow people, especially those who are time-poor, to just ‘rip and tip’ the meat straight into the frying pan without touching it.”
Not only did the research carried out by the supermarket and some of its meat providers serve to highlight millennials’ meat phobia, but it also provided a likely explanation as to why so many young people feel anxious when coming into contact with uncooked meat; dining out. According to the results of the survey, many of the younger generations spend a lot of time eating out at restaurants rather than preparing home cooked meals, meaning they are ultimately less conversant when it comes to handling raw meat safety.
Ruth Mason, chief food chain adviser at the National Farmers’ Union, described how meat suppliers had been alerted to the rising fear surrounding uncooked meat amongst millennials. She said: “We find it disconcerting that shoppers are so removed from their food that they have these concerns, but we are aware it is a growing trend – and a lot of the data suggests there are concerns about handling raw meat.”
While many of Sainsbury’s younger consumers will appreciate the advent of this new packaging, several businesses operating within the food industry could also benefit from pouch-style packaging. Here at Kempner, our innovative pouch filling equipment provides a great solution to companies looking to preserve their products…
Built with stainless steel and incorporating a number of innovative features, our bespoke pouch filling machines are perfectly suited to concealing a large variety of both perishable and non-perishable foods and beverages including creams, liquids, pastes and powders. Additionally, our polyolefin shrink wrap is also a fantastic option for food packaging as not only does it protect food from contamination but it also serves to keep editable products fresh for as long as possible by limiting its exposure to oxygen.
To find out more about our pouch filling machinery or shrink wrap products, please contact one of our team members today or reach out to us on social media with any questions or queries – we’re always happy to help!
