A DISCU$SION OF THE HISTORY AND WVELGPMENT GF THE RBI-WE MERCHANDISEEQG AND PACKAGiNG} OF MESH EEEB- MEAT WéI-H EMP’HASES OR THE EFFECT OF POLWBWL CHLORIDE HLM QR A TMQEWGML CELLQFHAESE MARKET O Tfiasm €09 Hm Doqm a? M. 5.- MECHEGEK STATE UNWERSETY Jerry Lee Mautz 19-36 . LIBRARY E"; "‘ lfllllllllllzlllfllflllllefllflUflljfllllfllflwflfl [M‘Cbigmm E Un IIIIII ty (5% RLQEU VD] NOV 11 1955 AM PM [7 8 911211112112 3L4. 5. 6! WEEK fig“), 9 a. i J A lLi GQSQW‘HQ' A DISCUSSION OF THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE Ill-STORE HEBCHANDISING AND PACKAGING OF FRESH RED HEAT WITH EMPHABIS 03 TB EFFECT OF POLYVINIL CHLORIDE FILM ON A TRADITIONAL CELLOPHANE MARKET in Abstract by Jerry Lee Hautz In this thesis the author traces the historical develop- ment or the in-store packaging and merchandising of fresh red meat. The first meat departments were of the service type. in which the butcher both sold and wrapped the cuts of lost purchased by the shopper. The inherent advantages offered by self-service neat departments enabled self-service serohsndis- ing of seats to "cone or age“. This serohandising concept placed responsibility for sales ultimately upon the fresh meat pecnge. The basic problems of in-store nest packaging are also outlined and enumerated in this paper. For the nest part these problems can be traced directly to the packaging mate- rial or to weaknesses in the complete package; For the past three decades coated cellophane has been the preferred packaging film for fresh red nests. In the past few years polyvinyl chloride has presented s supreme challenge to this dominance of cellophane. Through a compar- ative evaluation of the advantages offered by these two films the superiority of polyvinyl chloride over cellophane es a packaging film for fresh seats is clearly shown. The author concludes with s discussion of projections for the future with respect to the in-store packaging of fresh meat. The effect of consumer'denand. technological innovations. and future growth potential of polyvtuyl chloride are analyzed. {A DISCUSSION OF THE HISTORI.AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE IN-STOBE MERCHANDISING.AND PACKAGING’OF FRESH BED MEAT WITH EMPHABIS ON THE EFFECT OF POLIVINIL CHLORIDE FILM ON4A TRADITIONAL CELLOPHANE MARKET BY Jerry Lee hautz .A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Forest Products School of Packaging 1966 ACIQIOULEDGEEBITS The author wishes to thank and acknowledge the following persons without whose contributions this paper would not have been possible: it. 1. Foster of Reynolds Metals Company for the initial suggestion of this thesis topic: o. J. mison and R. J. Frank. also of Reynolds Metals Company. and G. F. Kindt of the American Viscose Division - PM Corporatim for the provision of invaluable reference documents; Dr. H. J. Raphael of the hiohigan State University School of Packaging for his guidmce throughout the duration of both this pro Jeot and the total graduate program; the author's parents for their help and encouragement: and the author's wife. Oarolyn. for her patience and understanding. iv TABLE OF CONTEVTS Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgements . . . . . . . e . Introduction . . . . , . . . . . The Growth of Self-Service Heat Departments . . Self-Service verses Service ‘fype Retail heat Departments: Advantages and Disadvantages . The Packsgingof Fresh Bed Heats. . . . . Color Retention: A Basic Problem . . . Bacterial Growth: A Related Problem . . Th. P30k381n8 PTOOOCI IDIQI! e e e e e e Haohinery for In-Btcre Packaging of Fresh Meats Cost and Profit Structures . . . . . Additional Retail Packaging Problems . . . . Characteristics of the Package For Fresh Red neat Cellophane as a Fresh neat Film . . . . . Polyvinyl Chloride as a Fresh heat Fill . . . A comparative Evaluation of Cellophane and Poly- vinyl Chloride as Fresh heat Fills . . . Future PTOJQODLGRI e e e e e e e e Consumer Demand for Fresh Heats . . The Importance of the Package as a Salesman For Fresh Meats . Technological Innovation and Change .. The Role of Centralized Pre-Packaging . . . The Effect of Polyvinyl Chloride on a Tradi- tianal Cellophane “32:03 e e e e e Bibliography e e e e e e e e e e e 11 11' 20 25 25 31 35 33 #1 #2 “3 so INTRODUCTION A basic question in the neat and livestock industry today is. ”To what degree is polyvinyl chloride replacing eollophano as a packaging fill for fresh red seat?“ In this paper the author should like to answer this question through the analysis of several tepies including the mar- koting of livestock and seat. the growth and development Of self-service retail outlets for seat, the inc-store packaging of fresh red meat. and future proJections with respect to the im-storo packaging of fresh rod use." Let us now look at soao historical trade in the production of livestock and seat in the muted States. Heat is basic to the aedern diet and meet animals are the mainstay of a modern agricultural technology. The abundance of seat and seat animals has become a distin- guishing indicator of advasoed society throughout history. i'ho United States is oertainly no exception to this general axiom. In the last forty years. production of all seats in the mitod States has increased nearly seventy-five percent fros 17.7 billion pounds in 1923 to over 30.5 billion pounds rBeef is considered by seny people in the United States to be the preferred food in the diet because of its tradi- tionally high “status" value and its high nutritional oeac- tent. Therefore. the bmt of this discussion will center aromd fresh rod beef. in 1963. Production of beef alone has more than doubled in the past forty years—ofroa 6.7 billion pounds in 1923 to 16.» billion ponds in 1963.1 In fact, eattlo mbors have increased at the rate of more than one millionhead per year since before the turn of the eatery and lost of the we. raised since 1900 has been beef eattlo.2 not only has the quantity of livestock raised and marketed for ultimate oonsusptien increased significantly. but the qual- ity of this livestock has also been greatly improved. The Federal Govern-mt has played a predominant role in the up. grading of standards containing the conditim of pre- slaughter livestock. slaughtering and processing operations and “one... she poet-slaughtor handling of meat and meat products. Let us new investipto the history and ohreno- logieal developaent of these Federal regulatory standards and analyse their implications on the livestock-asst indus- try. ' In pioneer Amerioa the only outlet for the disposal of seat aninls was through hone slaughter. Bone-slaughtered seat was dried. acked and cured for future oensusption or was barterod with neighbors for other needed goods and ' a '. e ‘ : " Anne mt“ lhDOI WE eroo «- Bus oes * “'7 ense Sorvioee Administration. January, 1965, p. 19. zstout. 'rhoaas 1'. and Willard F. Willie-s. the o took-H t The Machillan mpany, or 9 Po 3 services. As the frontier expanded through the growth of teams, the farmer's market for the livestock he raised greatly expanded. Producers of livestock at this time had basically tee available marketing chemiels for the dis- tribution of their livestock. toners could sell their livestock to professional drovereo-these mu collected a sizable drove at as small a cost as possible and made deliv- eries to distant markets-oer they could sell. livestock direct to local butchers. Local butchers did not slaughter in any appreciable volume. so livestock producers were forced to seek out drovors as their only practical musket channel. In those days production centers and marketing centers were separated by great distances. fine no of the sauce in all early livestock drives and the Journey botwom ranch and .rket use long. hot. dusty. and arduous. As a result of those livestock drives much of the moat consumed in ur- ban: areas of the melted States before the Industrial neve- lution came from screwy, battered and bruised. diseased animals. ‘ i‘ho meat packing industry us caught up in the great naduotrial Revolution that occurred throughout all phases of American business after the end of the Civil War. The Union Army's mom dnmd for packed meat gave largo- eoale industrial .meat packing its real economic start. that happened to meat routine Mllols the developmt of industrial capitali- into monopoly capitalism throughout it the United States. is we have seen. frontier seat slaughter and packing Ice done prisarily by shall-scale. independaat butchers. who were located close to production sources. These butchers constituted _a tree-competitive market-n-each held no direct control over the total industry and there Is ftree play"! of prices, profits and wages.3 The Industrial Revolution changed this picture considerably. Technical ino novations. notably the advent and rapid north of railroad: and the developaent of the refrigerated railroad car. helped to “reduce” the distance between productim and slaughter and to foster the growth of large slaughter houses which could take advantage {of basic economies of scale. The sub- sequmt unionization of neat-packing employees helped to in- crease the output of these cmtralised slaughtering plants. Still. however, there were no provisions made to insure the quality of slaughtered livestock. Federal seat inspection was established in the united states in 1890. strangely «tough. it began prilarily tron toreim rather than doaestic appeals. European purchasers were skeptical of neat exports tron the United States be- cause these products bore no official evidence that the neat had come tron healthy annals.“ Lewis. M 'i'he Viking Press. New Iork (19503, p. #1. h 8806 «II 0 ... and 9.11.: ' ‘0' a .3 -. ‘l--. t I.. P era Rea ”.0 CI la ' I _' ' m e x. e 9 ”Os .. January. 1965. to 3. 5 this first legislation provided for the inspection of neat after slaughter and before expert. but lads no pro-u visions for the deterninaticn of whether the neat had cone frcn diseased aninals. The foraal heat Inspection hot one passed in 1891. The principal Justification for this log-- islation has the eooncnio goal of increased exports rather than the protection of domestic and foreign manners frca disease. This legislation in itself held no specificatiais regarding acceptable standards of sanitation for the slaugh- ter and processing of livestock. Runercus protests con- cox-hing sanitation, labor conditions. and. in general. the neat that see being slaughtered and processed. developed throughout the United states in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The nest faaoue pretest use that of Upton Sinclair nheae book, mm:- which described the nbonlnnble conditions existing in the...» packing industry. beoane an innediate best-seller. This book aroused considerable public interest in neat packing and directly led to the passage of the heat Inspection Act of 1906. The heat Inspection Act of 1906 is the basis for all federal neat inspection today. this Act: 1. Established a pcrnanent inspection service'- 3:3; mummmnnw .. Agriculture. 2. Specified not only before-and-after slaughter inspection but also inspection at successive stages in the cutting. handling. and process- ing of neat. 6 3. Regulates the transportation of neat in interstate and foreign commerce. ll. Prohibite the use of gel-mm ingredients or aislcading labels. The lcn u sandstory for all moat-packing plnnts oper- ating in interstate or foreign connerce or that cell neat directly to the federal Governnent. Today. less than twenty percent of the total number of slaughtering plants in the knit“. States are Federally inspected. but those plants do a very high percentage (8) parent) of the total sinughtero m in the United sues-.5 these two lent Inspection nu have combined to produce great advances in the quality of neat enhancer“ for hunan amen-push. Wortunately. public emcee and subsequent action toward the rencvnl of poor working conditions and lack of enplcycc benefits lagged far behind the upgrading of ‘quality standards ton- nard the neat that nae being processed. The public -0 appalled by the fact tilt the neat it consumed could be potentially diseased, but secned to take in stride the fact that nenbere of society were dying in the filth and stench of the packing plants. Sinclair later resarked that his book was I'ained at the pnblie'e heart. but hit an M instead.'7 cum refcrns acre nice in coming 55.1». mm. The hot 1: e. _ _. ~ ~ Interstate Printers and Publi ere, c.. : vi i e, Illinois (1957). p. #92. 7m. . p. 62!. to the meat-packing industry. but today employees enjoy sages. benefits and conditions comparable to other Anor- ican industries. Aside from the provisions and regulations of the heat Inspection Acts. several additional factors are specifi— cally responsible for improvements in the quality of beef produced and marketed. First, better breeding and improved management have reduced death losses of all the varieties of beef cattle. Secondly. sharp and continued increases are evident in the numbers of cattle fed to higher grades. Thirdly. official grading of neat and increased consumer demand for better quality in beef have undoubtedly contri- buted to the trend toward better and more uniform beef quality.8 Thuahr some of the reasons forincronsed quality of meat offered for consumption have been discussed. The significance of these factors is further heightened be- cause farm population decreased one-third during the twenty-year period between 19% and 1960.9 Nevertheless. at the some time the number of units of livestock on ferns raised for ultimate consumption has greatly increased. Today two-thirds of the farncrs produce acre livestock than all farmers did two decades ego-oand this livestock in of a greatly increased quality! {nan-T p. 5&9? 9m" 1:. has THE GROUTH OP BBQ-SERVICE HEAT DEPARTWTB concurrent sith the developacat of simifioant innovations and movement regulatius which in combine- tiea helped to increase the quality of livestock slaugh- tered and marketed was the growth of selfsserviee retail outlets. is the sees-icon frontier loved ”stand so have seal that home production of seat Ins popular in asst local areas. General stores sprung up in frontier tons to serve the needs of the people for misty in the seeds theyusedand one“. these storestudedto “Joy nail «scenic sonopeiies in the annuities they served house they offered liberal credit. inc-store clerk ser» vice. and order-films and delivery funnies. he'll: meery stores stocked and Wood only greasy it.” seat on sold by slalleseaie. independut butchers or by mil-veins neat asrkets. Mass of the numerous ad— vantages they offered to the shopper. poetry stores be- an to grow and develop early in the twentieth eatery. the originator of the super-rt» is morally eeasidered tebecierueelamders.mfoudedtheriasly Hissiy stores is 1915. the Wet concept use the result 01' a continence of ideas put together by pioneos in the grocery field. along these as: were hichael Cullen of the King Kullen stores and Robert hetis and Bay Dawson of the Alpha Beta Stores.10 - As early grocery stores continued to grow a few operators combined grocery and neat stores. featuring either a leased meat department or having the grocery and meat sections operate separately but share costs. Gradually the neat department operation was absorbed by the grocer and the combined food store emerged. Let us new survey the historical developnmt of the neat department in these early retail outlets. The first supermarket neat departnents were the service type, cm- sisting of one or two reaigerated display cases. In these departments merchandising was very limited and in- pulse buying was negligible due to the lack of variety in outs of neat available for consumers. The customer told the butcher the type of neat. she wished to purchase and he sold her a particular out-cotton explaining the best cooking method for the out. In these service-type neat departments the personality of the butcher played an im- portant role in the total success of the department. His sales efforts were aimed prinrily tonrd selling addi- tional most items to complete the shopper's weekly mom: plans. The direct customer contact in the early neat , _ . l ‘_ .. ’ ‘1-- 1' ~ is : .-:..: xifxfi '1. I ineriean ’ scose ' s on, M Corps on. "3 -elphia. Pansylvunie. p.2. 10 departments ave the butcher an opportunity to aove slew- selling items, high-margin itensand less desirable outs of Icahn vise seat departaents led soae stores to consider the eco- eept ef the self-aservies seat departnent. is early as 1920 most departnmt operators had begun to experimut with the selfeserviee serehndising of meat. In-store cutting and pricing of seat presented no important prob- lens, but wrapping did! Oustaers would not accept ”blind- Success and censuses- acceptauoe of these ser- wrapped' asst, and no transparent fill see available at this tine that is misimtly dlnbls to ho sanctum”. (later in this discussion so shall study the develepuat of transparent films for paehesiu fresh red seat and ana- lyse the profemd imfluasoe these films have bad ea coders seat-serohndisins procedures on! techniques.) nerefore. Mt mt. scleetsd by the W. is! to that be trapped by a clerk. his operation proved sore costly- ill t..- of both tile and Ionics—m had the traditional seat departint. is stores grew in sise it beease nere m lore ammo to provide eminent skilled seat pu— see—e1 to “is post WEN. lost Meats bo- cane 'bsttluosks' . Mull! interferins with the neeth uBrand. Dr. Ednrd. Assistant Dean-dellege of Business and Public Bervi ce-hichigsn State University. W Pair-child Publications. Inc... CU or Q Do e 11 flow of store traffic.” Another naJor problem which faced self~service neat merchandisers us the displaying of pre- out neat. These stores generally utilized dairy cases with ice cooling to display their pro-cut neat. ‘tnafortua nately. those 'aeat" cases did notnaintain low enough temperatures. resulting in excessive product spoilage. For lack of satisfactory refrigerated display cases and adequate wrapping ustorisls. the advent of self-service neat operations was considerably delayed. Throughout the 1930's the same conditions prevailed. deny operators orporiaatod with and subsequently abane doaed their solfesorvieo seat operations. It remained for the Great Atlantic and Pacific roe company to pioneer the developsut of the self-remiss lost case. a e r mgineers converted a fish and delicatessn ease into a usable meat ease. and placed these cases in selected stores. . This breakthrough in self-service asst display- inereasod seat ‘ sales in the osperiamtal stores by about thirty percent without adding increases isolebor costs to these stores.” The isprovised case was seditied by refrig- eration equipsent mufacturors. and the first preetioal refrigerated solfeoervioo seat display equipsent was put into production for distribution to retail outlets. E5:Pachaged heats...i‘heir Background and their Future“, W V01. 18. Ho- 6. hm. m5. o. 7?. OP. 01‘. D. 32s 12 The ratio-ins of supplies brought about by herica's airy into world For H produced material shortens and taperarily curtailed the ssnsfactare of refrigerated disa- piayeasee. ltnsnetutilafterthesarendediaiflc that self-service neat cases were again unufaetured. le- tailers. trying to find acthods for reducing costs in the seat departaut. turned uthusiastically to self-cornea as rapidly as the necessary equinent tees-e amiable. he self-service concept in seat serehsndisins new tro- aadouli. rosters of retail stores sitheut fresh meat and mane-e seat mee- dropped enrol: b7 19”. . shilc the amber of stores thick future! fresh lest had increaecdandtheaterace siseoftheee stereehdiae creased greatly. the three decades bot”. 1920 III. 1950 ears the feundatias of the 0m store as...“ mine arcs and spread rapidly through fantastic custnctiea press-ans. consolidations and senses. less of the nation's mac retail feed chins teeeae til-1y establiflcd during the 1930's. In order to Moti- lore efficintly. chin stores introduced several rcvelutinary operatias prose. dares Ihith later bees-e standardised practices for the developing chain stores. seen; these practices were the InTechnically, any group of too or sore stores night he considered a chain. but the Bureau of Census nos eon- siders groups of eleven (ll) er lore stores as consti- tuting a chain. ”out”. I. J0me. 3.-. Richard D. " e Do 51‘- 4Q 13 “cash and carry“ concept of aerchandisins with its clinio nation of aeny traditiual retailer services. the steam- ing of only popular. quick-noting itas, the standardi- zation of store layout, and .the establish-1t of unifor- acoounting procedures. These chain stores featured can- tralized purchasing of goods am. lei-cost selling aethods for these goodseothis no reflected in lower prices for the mama and helped the chain steres gain treasndous public acceptancetls ' The growth of one hundred percent Aeelf-oservioe seat departments has been indeed neotacuiar. In 19“ there. were 178 completely eelfweervioe neat departaents located in stores throughout the muted atatcs. By 19”. over l.000 food stores operated self-service seat departnats. This number increased to 2.800 stores by 19511.! to 20.000 stucs in 1958i“ The nuabcr of stores featuring complete self-service aerohaudising of fresh seat has con- tinued to increase since 1958. but not at such a startling rate. ’ certainly no one today can deny tint the neat depart- aent ef any aedern retail outlet exerts considerable I ‘ . .. e P0 3‘0 ' 8 M W. Vol. 7, No. 9. September, 19 3, p. 350. 11+ influence over the ultimate mucosa or failure of that outlet. A ctorc' a reputation and its oonperctivc etetus among competitors for customers is often totally depu- dmt upon the quality of neat it offers for sale. Thus. the neat department acts as a 'drauing eard'm-it draws customers into one store and away from conpcting stereo. Surveys conducted by Burgoyne Index end A. c. Nielsen in- dicated that the number one reason for shopper selection of a store one the quality and freshen of its Icahnl’7 The 7th duPont Conmer Buying Habits Study; which wee cmducted in 1965, affords another statistic which helps to substantiate the importance of the retail neat depart.- nent. The method of data collection in the survey wee as follows! A. As shoppers entered the store they were asked by specially trained interviewers what they intended to buy. All items were recorded by the intervimr on a checklist. For each item the chopper planned to buy she was asked that brand or kind she had in mind. To reduce bio. and avoid influencing behavior shoppers were not told their purchases would be checked as they left the stores B. After shoppers had ceapleted their twins interviewers approached then a second tine and on the saaeohcoflist. entered the ac- tual purchases ade- VW, mini“ metals cam. W s s ’e c . 1 C h d! "c c Iva._' l-:. - 511’.sz &b t 3 :- _'.. r. . n on eNenours en- mpanya 0” V ‘1 31. Delaware, p. l. 15 Shoppers were eased the question, "Do you confine your buying of food to one store clone?’ Results of the sur- vey indicate that sixty-one percent (611) of the total mbcr of shoppers interviewed (over 7,000) homily buy at least one product at another store, and that twenty- eight percent (28$) normally buy fresh seat at a difc- tormt store than the store there they buy the resin. in of their groceries.” The seat department also acts as a nfocal poiat' cith record to the ultisatsaerketins air which is pro- ceutod by the retail outlet. Although selling seat is set the sole obaect or W on of the retailer. the coat industry depends hastily upon his. because the retailer occupies a strategic position in the distribu- tion channel. no can closely observe the proforma and desires of censusere. then influence the seat indutry by his interpretation and tron-ittai of these proforma“.- offectius resultant changes in industry production and sarkcting pattene. and.finally. influence the ones-er eith respect to his purchased product sis. sales voluse figures also point out the iaportaneo of the retail seat departaent. There are five basic rec- sens why seat retailing u a price candidate for top canv- agenent direction. First. seat retailing is a saior ”My; 3. l6 commitment "for tho retail outlet. heat department opera- tions typically account for approximately oneofourth of a store's total sates volzmc-a-rreah red meat sales repre- ‘eont nearly fourteen percent (lhyt) of total store sales, and for a substantial portion of its invented capital requirements.” Second. sales of fresh meats constitute a serious profit impact for the retail outlets. Therefore. key changes in retailing strategy affect not only the prof- itability of the individual neat departnents. but” also the total profit picture for the entire store. third. most mice have an effect on the. sales of other departnents in the store. Fourth, neat Quality and ultimate sales have an influmce upon the reputation and publio image of a store. Lastly. seat department operations offer a sub- stentiel opportunity for significant profit inprovuentezl The meat industry has traditionally been an industry in rhioh the processing. distribution and retailing of its main product provide very little profit to those who supply the services. it the retail level the neat department turns out to be the least profitable area. in the store. A. A 26W, I. 3:. Grass m. We s on, can South carolina. Material compiled during the summer of 1965 by Douglas Novakoski. Grad- uate Research Assistant-onsu School of Packaging. p. 6. -3 ,. ' l l . h“- 4... V, 1AA. 4’ V 'a «o .r *7 U»: soy and .. c.. Managenen Com s; New York. Her tort. October 26. 196*, p. 7e 17 This is because seat is substantially changed in fora sithis the store. which requires cutting and processing laborg Prices of these services. like all other prices. have been effected by inflationary trends in the amoral economy; in addition. the steadily increasing nusber and quality of services rendered all along the seat sarketing channel have tended to increase total sarketing costs and to decrease mm» many retail i.» senagcrs feel thet beef takes an inordinate aacunt of labor to prepare it for ; retell, packaginge “It usually takes more cutting tine for beef (expreesed as a percentage of total cutting time) than the parentage of fresh rent tonnage acoozmted for by beef' is the couch reply of these sanagers. 22‘ ape-.- oific statistics ooncemingtheeests ofthese addedser- t‘ices will be presented later in this. pepore. _ pri ee-emhsndi sing strategy of retail seat ’ departments has also been responsible for the low level of profitability achieved by these departa-itse These depertnents operate order a policy of unable-price aer- ehenditinse This involves the simultaneous lenipnletion of selected prices upnrd and donnrd in order to draw attention to the market offerings; of the fire and to AA— j—L -_ _..__ _.._~ _—e.. _,_,_..V v—m —'—Vv , .— 7..— _ Vivi—VT 1,,er1123-,3“1...,_L,_LH* u McKinney one Company. Inc.. Management Con- to; Chicago, Illinois. June 1}. l9“. p. 30. 32 18 differentiate then tron those of its ecapetitors. This practice is different fro: eieple price cutting because it involves the sinlteneous raising and lettering of prices and does not require that price increases and decreases m individual items alnys be of the same aaounts er follcs each ether chronologionllinz3 This strategy is Ianifested in the popular “weekend special' features ef virtually all retail outlets. min. beef plays a leacr role in depress- ing aeat depart-mt profits. Being the scat popular eon- mar aeat. fresh beef is feature-priced acre oftu than any ether type of neat. this alone establishes a grave diehotony in the neat departlent. Here we have beef. the nest popular and leading seller alone fresh red aeat. be- ing prieed low to draw mteners into the store. but re- quiring a great snout of additional laber in order to stieulate sales to these custcaersi Little wonder profits in the neat departaent are 10! relative to those of othu departeents tithin the store! (In the basis of the preceding discussion. there are tee obvious needs for retail neat depart-eats at the pre- sent tiee. first. the aecnnt of in-etore labor necessary to prepare neat for sale aust be reduced; and second. it is essntial that seat each-willing pnetiees and pelieies 2lgllelson. Paul 8.. and Lee Iii. Preston, W _-; ~'* .7 .ms uec sinees vere y of Oalifornie. Berkeley. glifomia (1966). PP: “-Se 19 be redefined and revamped; a look’at‘ the human packag- ing process for fresh neat will result in a primary frene- sork fron which Mae-um resennendatiens nyu'm.. a.paohage fer'any food product Inst perforl three basic functions; first, and'fundalentallyt the package mm physically contain the tees preduet. second... the'peok- a... lust aeintain the mm. quality of the food we» ever tile. Third. theflpeekage.aust be.eppealing te e.eue-' toner so that 'resultut sales are mean other nerds, the package not be e “ell-it sales-an“ for the preduet at the point ef purchase.” In addition to these three prieary factors. Dr'. 04:. cm Ball states'tht fresh rec neat’should be paehged for four other manna.” i'hese reasons fire as follows: 1. Ileat is pechged to protect it free centen- inaticn induced by bacteria and filth; 2. heat is packaged to retard or prevmt the loss of neisture frea its exposed surfeee W's . 3e Heat is packaged to shield it froe the dele- terious effects of light urea. ’ “s lint is packaged to facilitate handling both in the cutting and packaging rooms and the display case in the retail outlet; ' “Charlton; P'. c. {and R? h: Belong. "foods and Peneebility', ig-.,-.;‘:L 9.. Vol. 29. No. 7., lurch. 1956. p. 227 4" ‘ t ..I’,‘. A- 253%}. , Dr; G: Cline-Departnnt of Iced Icieaeeunutgers University. "here Are Facts On color Changes In Packag- ing of Fresh Heat Cut-"o W V018 1&3. N0. 27. Dcouber 31, - 0. p. e SELF-SERVICE VESES SERVICE TYPE RETAIL HEAT DEPARIMEWS; ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES is we have previously seen, the grouth of self-service neat departnents. in terns of the total nueber of stores which have made the conversion from service-type to self- servioe departnmts. is indeed startling. In these self- service neat departments virtually all of the fresh neat is out. trimmed, and packaged within the departaent itself. Despite the lack of basic economies of soele associated with the in~store packaging of seete-these non-economies of scale are reflected in the 10' profit levels of neat departments-c-retail outlets still prefer to pro-package seats on their own premises. Two questions which should inediately arise are Why is the in-stcre pre-pachaging of fresh heats so pcpularfi and What advnnteges are offered by this process both to stores and to customers of stores that cannot be offered by serviceotype seat departments" It has been found through nueerous surveys that seat department sales increase as a result of conversion by that department from service to self-service. with result- tant pro-packaging of fresh seats; Potential sales volume increases are the biggest advantage that seat pro-packaging ean offer the retail outlet. wellostecked display cases help to etiaulate iepulse purchases. resulting in acre units 20 21 purchased per oustoaer'and acre total units purchased per store. done operators clain sales gains of trenty to sixty pee-cut ever the eerviee nethod of neat eerohandising.26 the inpstore‘preepeokegMng of neat also affords better control by the store over the freshness of the nor. chandise it stooks._ Consulars deeand fresh neat-othey tad to observe. inspect and determine the resiliency of a particular’seet out before eventually purehesing it. . Studies of consuner attitudes telard.quality in.pre-peoleged eeats have establi died the following factors as deter-innate of freshness: dolor; saonnt and Distribution of rut: iaeunt of Bone: shape and Contour of heat out. and Hartline. shile this list is by no eeens eenprehensive, it does point out the importance of freshness to the consular. Observation. ins spection and handling are the sethods by shich eenssasre determine freshness in the retail eunee.” lest which is not fresh (and the eensuaer deteraines the nature of this desired freshness) simply will not sell! Iy preopeckaging the neat it displays the neat departmt is in a better position sith.respect to elsays hating sn.adequate supply 1'0 $2.23!; Po 3“- 27d. w, Publication 751. National Academy 0 8o enccs, Na onal Research Council, Washington, 9.0. (1960); tutorial free the article "mluaticn of Consumer Acceptance Studies on Beef“, m1 Mrak and George Stesart, p. 12. B. W25 of the avggtgcg-heat Multrz, gpmit, p. e 22 of fresh meat on hand for sale. Regular rotation of dis- play stock and additional packaging of fast-moving outs to nest peak hours of densnd insure the nest department that its nerohandise is fresh over tine. In addition. preopachging of seats and their self- service display definitely helps its reduce the nnnter of Mapper waits em hen-meager in the seat cement. . wrapping of mohased seat, cuts by a clerk hes bed: 011!- inated: preepaohaging sates shoppins for seat- easier and. stimulates the smooth flow of shopper trsftie throughout the store. Ind-store pre-pschaging of seats enables the seat de-- partaent to realise increases both in total production cut- pnt and also in efficiency during production. When skilled, seat personnel can utilise all their tine in cutting and trimming operatims-orithont having to else act as clerks ”floater standardisatien of processing and ”01381138 is the result. This standardizationrednces costs and in- creases salese In-store pro-packaging sakes possible the side display of a nriety of seats at all tines; Ibis enables the store to enjoy increased sales on loser-priced outs. seeml and specialty items. and slow moving itesa when any of these prcdnets are purchased on iapnlse to ccnpleeaxt a sens plan.28 ’ ”we“ Packager“ Report”. -, u .u p 126 N11. 19%. 23 Comtorbalaioing these basic advamtagoe of ill-store moat packaging are the following disadvantages. Propo- nents of serviceytype neat departments would consider - these factors to be advantages associated with this mer- chandising method. First, in-etore packaging and self- service displaying of meats greatly reduces or virtually eliminates customer contact with neat department personnel. Suggestive selling or promotion.of particular neat cuts by the butcher has all but been eliminated. _The package must Pscll itself? to the customer in today‘s neat department. This places ultimate sales responsibility upon an intan- gible object which may or may not be constructed in the most efficient possible manner. lass displays are diffi~ cult to keep orderly over time-this tends to further re- duce the effectiveness of the package as a salesman. Second, there exists the acute problem of working out production schedules to coincide with peak hours of sales. This problem is sagnified when consumer demand is anticipated incorrectly or when employee time is utilized inefficientlys Third, strict shelfelife control is an absolute must. In-store pro-packaged meat is highly perishable because of its relatively short shelf-life (approximately three to four days if the nest is displayed at a temperature of 2% 32 .- 31» degrees Fal'xrenheit.)29 This makes stringent control essential. Fourth, failure to stock optinum.numbers and adequate varieties of packaged meats can lead to much reprocessing and repackaging of meat outs which have become unealeable due either to poor appearance of the meat, the package, or both.30 Rewrapping and reworking neat from display cases should be eliminated where possible. From the presenta- tion of these comparative advantages and disadvantages of the in-storo packaging process,and remembering the dynamic growth and consumer acceptance of in-stcre pro-packaged - meats, it is readily apparent that the advantages of in, store packaging and self-service merchandising far out weigh their disadvantages and make this method preferable to service-typ meat retailing. W W “gflall. Dr. C. Olin-Rutgers University. “Emerging Pack- aging Science Through Research: A.Gase History In Heat Packaging” figpggg Presented fit §he 24th £¥n§§1 gatigngl Packaging forum e c s u.e, New Iorh. New Xcrk 1902’. p. 60. ”Emails costs asueyi Eta fro- : survey of 57 eon- panies controlling 1,071 individual retail outlets inn dioate that resrappins a particulsr‘paokage of neat costs approximately l.5-2% of the selling price of that package. ”artist's Happening In Heat housing“. gupermarket herohandislng, April, 1959: Pa 65. THE ZEN-STORE PACKAGING OF FRESH BED MEATS 001.03 RETENTION! A BASIS PROM m edditioml problem are of concern to those perms who are interested in the packaging or fresh red nests. One problem is inherent in the phrase 'tresh red meet" itself «this is the mintcinenee or the bright red color sseocid- sted with aoceptsble meet for consumption. The second prob- lem concerns the generation end growth of tutu-is on the surfaces of packaged sect cuts. Let us nor enalne these two problems in detail; Probably the most important single factor in the 5.1.. eppcal or pro-packaged seats. mimosa-1: beef, is color.” Pruence or desirable color is one of the i-portent factors which determines whether 1 particular fleet out will be ul- tiutely sccepted by s customer. since color ins lens hem identified with freshness. the consumer relies on this cri~ terion of quality to provide hin with s product which he considers satisfactory for consumption. Theme ere five basic rectors which influence the final color of nests rhioh ere pechsced in the retell outlet. These ere the breed of the enisel. the type or feeding and to raise the child. the pro-slaughtering operations n'bisficoloratienfiof Fresh Bed fleet and Its Reletionehip to Film Oxygen Permeability", W Vol. 9. I” 3. April. 1955e P6 :9“- 25 26 undergone by the animal, the efficiucy of resulting shughtering procedures and techniques. and. finally. the length of time which the neat out is exposed to air after cutting and before packaging in the seat department.32 I The color of packaged meat is in a dynamic state over time and continually changes due to fluctuations in the condition of its mflronnent, particularly oxygen tension and temperature.” The extent of these changes in meat color differs between particular cuts of meat although usually. under any given cycles of environmental conditions, a typi- eal color pattern develops for each neat species and may be readily predicted. The color. of fresh meat is due principally to the concentration and chenical state of the muscle piglent Iyoglobin and to some extent the hemoglobin which remains in the tissues as residual blood after the animal has been slaughtered and processed.» mgiebin is closely related to blood hemoglobin. Hemoglobin serves to transport oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the living animal; in the 5230M, 3.0.. 'Pl‘oblena In Packaging Meat Products“. Wm. Vol. 11“. No. 16. April 20. a De ‘. 33l'ellers. David a” "Pair Testins' Gaspares Hos rilns Maintain Color of Pro-11 East's W. MC. 1965. Fe 92. ”toners. David A. . m. 27 tissues. this heaoglobin is released to ayegle‘bin.” i'he ayoglobin, being a part of the mafia tissue itself. stores oxygen and ashes it available for the lite preeesses of the ansele. Hycglobin is an extreaely ccaplar purple-red pre- tein which has a aeleeular weight ef 17.500 and is eenpesed of approximately 150 differmt amino acids which are linked together. the im in this eenpennd is eheaieally in the {crimes state and the pigment noraally exists in seat which has not been «6.36 undue}: and Wee have aade massive studies can- esraing the degeneration ef color ever tine in fresh red seat which is packaged fer sale in retail entlets. these researchers have presented a color cycle for fresh seat which explains why seat ante which are packaged for retail self-service undergo a gradual hm diseoleratiea during storage in the display case; In acre technical tens. this color cycle imlves the change of oxyayoglebin ta reduced ayoglebin which then changes te aetayeglebin; 37 when aeat is first ent the surface is purple, indi- eating the presence of the muscle pimt ayslebia which 532131 sooloration of Fresh Red Meat and Its Relationship to Fill Oxygen Permeability", 92—223.! p. 1910. 36Ibicl, p. 194. Also, 'Energing Packaging Science Through Research: A Case History In Heat Packaging“, 223.9119 P0 60‘ ”Levers. G. 0.. 'Diecolcration of Packaged Red heat“, WW January. 191*8. p. 127. 28 is in a reduced for-1.38 The nest out is then left exposed to the air for a period of time, enabling the neat to 'bloon' or acquire the bright red surface color which con- mers ordinarily accept as indicating good quality. This oxygenation or “blooming" of the seat occurs very rapid” within thirty minutes after cutting and is accelerated be- cause the process is earriad out in the tapernimre- controlled cutting roan of. the neat departmt. The bright red color of the meat surface after man-ti. is m as the oxynyoglobin stage in the developa-it cf the Color Ortle.39 ‘i‘he aaemt of cxyayeglcbin in the neat determines the color of the seat itself. which ranges from a bright red for beef to a delicate pink for veal and pork. Even after the 'death' of the aniul. the muscle tissues retain a ear-n tain amount of respiratory activity; This activity results in the mtinnous eonstmption of cxygm within the seat. Inside the piece of seat the crygm present while the and-- Isl lived is rapidly sensual! ad without the bleed circa- latiea necessary te provide new argue this exygm derid- siency prevails. The interior of the seat eat. therefore. 4 33"ng Control Key to Fresh heat Color". W W, Vol. 133. No. 7, February 12. . p. . ”'Faots About Meat color. Oxygen Is Key to Color in am». 22:21.2. p. m 29 remains purple in eelory while the neat surface during the exysyoglobin stage is red. the seat set is tha peele- aged em subseqemtly placed in the display ease. the functional enrolments or the package for fresh seats and their peculiar prerequisities end ruminants will be dis-- eleeed later in this presentation. . The resaining stages in the color cycle take place after new ad during display of the seat. Uhu the packaged seat is placed in the display one its surface is bright red. This sedition has resulted tree the oxyge- nation er the surface at the seats The color We is preduoed beset” netsyegle’cin fl reduced ayeglobin fer. a reversible exidetifll-Mmti. asst. of the rec-roas- terrie type. In the redhead eyeglobin er purple stage the iron or the seat is is the terms state; in the aet- syoglebin or tron stage the iron oi’ the seat is in the ferric mu.“ In revise. the dolor Cyele is packaged seats finitests itself through a series or eoler changes is the seat scr- t'aceoothe surface of the nest clunges from bright red to purple to m ever tile; is has been previously stated. the lagth of time involved is approxiaately three to four W's “Discoloration or Packaged Red neat”. mm. 30 The physical variable which in all probability exerts the greatest influence over the rate of «color changes of “ packaged seats is the temperature of the self-serviee dis- play ease. strict temperature parameters are required for display of fresh neats'beoause the color changes associ- ated with the Color Cycle increase rapidly as the toners- ture increases; There are two basic reasons shy teaperature increases cause greatly increased color 'ehanges in fresh neat. First. increased taper-stare acts as a catalyst which speeds up the conversion of exynyoglobin (red pint) to aetuyoglobin (brown pigment); The higher taperature effects the basic oxidation reaction by helping. to mu tree oxygen '11»: the systu. thereby speeding the process along. Second is the horse]. effect of an increase in tesperature upon the‘ velocity constants er the color chance reaetiens thanselves. due to the merease in "it ml? of M “$1.31. to iapluact these reactions; With more may available the eeler change processes naturally proceed at a faster rates",1 “Wafer-sing Peongins ceieuee W Research: A Case History In heat remains“. m- p; 61;. BACTERIAL GROWTH! .1 RELNIED PEBBLE! A second factor which is inherent in the inoetore packaging cf fresh red meats is the growth and develop- ment of bacteria on the surface of the neat cut and within the neat itself. The effect of bacterial action and its relationship to color deterioration in packaged meats has been well documented. Jensen has stated that micro- organisms. both living and dead, and their mayaes on the surface of meat tend to increase the rate of oxidation of fresh meat pigments to the dark brown notmgiobm.” “‘1" site studies have been conducted by Bratzler, Butler, and hallman concerning the affect or bacterial action upon the effective shalt-life of pro-packaged beef cuts; In all cases these researchers observed that bacterial growth reduced the salable shelf-lire of packaged beef steaks. (mange: which were caused or speeded up by bacte- rial grewth included discoloration of the cut through the increased rate of metmycglobin formation. production of off- odors, and elins i'crnticnfi3 While the majority or research studies concerning bacteria and pro-packaged meat have been performed on cuts “Butler, osDe: Ice-Ia thIé. end "else Mill-n. .n. mfect of Bacteria on the color of Pro-packaged Retail Beef Outs", W, Vol; 7. Ho. 10. October. 1953s P9 3970 “31219.. p: 399; 31 32 of beef, the mechanisms of bacteria growth. development and resultant deleterious effects of bacteria are sinilar ever time for all species of neat. For all types of neat displayed the first two days display time may be considered the lag time or initial growth phase for bacteria. During this time period the number of organisms present on the seat remains nearly constant. it the end of this time the bacteria enter a positive growth acceleration phase during which the average rate of increase in numbers increases sharply with time. It is during this positive growth phase for bacteria that the discoloration rate of pre-packaged mast is at its greatest. Correlations of the rate of nctmyoglobin formation with the munber of bacteria present on meat have sham that sic- robial action does indeed exert a great influence over most color. This undoubtedly occurs through the reduction of the amount of oxygen present and available for the neat due to the abnormally high oxygen demand of the aerobes on and in the neat during their phase of rapid growth.“ # Strict controls on both refrigeration and sanitation are essential in order to retard the growth and development of bacteria in pre-packaged fresh meats. It is extremely important to saintain low temperatures at every point in the di stributicn channel for seato-in all holding, shipping “in“ sheets of Fran-packaged Fresh heats“. mu... p. 352 33 and processing rooms. and especially in the display case. Generally, assuming the same level of contamination to exist, a packaged meat out will keep twice as 10115 at 32° Fahrenheit than it will at hoor‘ahronheit. and four times as long as it will at 50°Fa‘rmanheitf5 with respect to sanitation. new studies have been widertaken for the purposes of sampling numerous meat de- partment surfaces for bacterial counts and correlating those counts with the numbers of bacteria present on re- tail meat outs. These studies have shomithat virtually all surfaces in the meat department, except those dealing d;l.rect.'1.;.r with the moat cutting operation, were low in the number of crawlisms present. Getting; tools and cutting surfaces were retard to offer the greatest sources of con- tamination to pro-packaged fresh meat. Both temperature control policies and mutation practices must be regularly evaluated and rigidly enforced. Successful meat department operators liner that once product life is lost it oamzot be brow-1t back through special addi- tives or by expensive packaging operations. The areas of color deterioration and bacterial development are two areas which will continue to be or great interest to those persons concerned with the in-store packaging of fresh seat. In the future, these problems are certain to mrrant increased E3"Better Heat hanging“. W Vol. 136. NOe 25. m. 22. 1957. De e 3“ rum and «mm mutual um»: I111 combine to produce both: nut «nu-tum man-MW roman: mung-ulna; manna. with moot to 1mm" puk- aging that. m «1.11 am dmlopuuu ma: the author full should be mutated can shun“. THE PACKAGING PROCESS Item Machinery For m-etcre housing or Preeh Hate the development or nation: refrigeration uethede played en important pert in the eetebliehnent cf in-etcre pecun- ins end eelr-eerviee eerclnndieius. Another incrtent ed- vence in in-etere meet pecans“; lee the production of le- chinery deeigned to reduce the inefficiencies inherent in ‘ the cutting em peckesing preceeeee. The deeisn of en eute- ntic ecele which eeleuletee the reteil price dependent up. on tere weight of the cut, printe the lebel with the neee er the eut, weight. end price. end heet eeele the lebel to the We run beeie te the trad tcnrd incensed eutea eetien in the neet depertnent. rode: neet depertnute utilise three heeic cetescriee ct 33011181118 lechinery fer the production of riniehed peek- esee. nah eeperete cetegcry he: be ueed elcne er in ecnbi- neticn, depending upon the pertieuler uee requirenent end eelee wine or indiuduel lent deputnnte. Firet, eute- netie nehinery thet completely ecocnplidlee the trapping end heet eeelins cpereticne he: he need to We treeh red eeet. second. eeei-eutcnetic eeehinee thet finish the mp- pins end eeelinc etter en epeeveter hue Me the initiel mp end heat eeel a: be chceen. mm. eeuuel ugppmm. thet eieyl: held e rel). ct meet-WPW tile end centein het tiree for cutting thie tile ere euilehle. Glen-1y. the 35 36 trudowerthepeet fewyeereietonrdinereeeedueeef eeni-eutonetie end eutenetic mohinery for in-etore peck- eging; nevertheleee, only twenty-five percent (255) of the freeh meet being presently pro-peerage! ie meet by theee twe eetegoriee ef machinery: meaty-five percent (75‘) of. the total pro-peeing“ meet ie etill being peeksfl lenuel- m“ e . g ml in indeed e vitel eree of prenieing growth poten- tiel for the reletively our future.“ weekly eelee veluue eppeere te be the prieery determinant ef rhether emvmion by e reteil meet inert-Int he: ““1 to out. er eon- pletely eutcntie manila-y ie feeeible’. The W W luney ef 1959 yield. velueble intonation concerning the ettitudee of reteilere tenrd neet depert- nent euteeetien end the prerequisitee thet retailere held before ocnvereion to come type of euteuetion ie peeeible. 0f the 1,071 retell outlete whioh nrtieipted intthie eur- wey. neerly eeventy-ene pea-cut (715‘) were ueing either cell. or coupletely euteeetic meet-wrepping neehinees the» out- lete wreppea epprorieetely county-three percent (73% ) of their tote]. from red heat by “china“? fodey tint tumty- eeven percent (27%) of the total freeh neet which amended “Reynold; hetele compeny Bulletin. Jenuery 27. 1966, 22.211. p. 2. "mun Humming In fleet Focusing”. 22:312.: P6 51- 3? manual wrapping in 1959 has been reduced through increaaed wrapping efficiency end improved packaging nateriel tech- nology to fifteen percent (115%).“8 The average minim weekly neat department calee volume warranted before the etoree in thie eurvey would require in- etallation of a neat wrapping machine nae 810,000. Along individual cutlete thie figure ranged from a uni-u: of $7,000 to a narinun of $25,000 per week. Baeed on average weekly neat calee of $8,500 for en etcroe in the curvey. thie figure givee no a better under-tending ae to why the trad toward wrapping automation has been relatively clot.” There were many other eighifieant queaticne asked in thin eurvey; two of theee queatione and the data gaerated from them are ac follow" a. mt eavinge or other advantages de you get fr. neat wrapping nohinee? Percent of Iteree Giving W W 1. Reduced labor coats 51.“ 2. Faster productim for peak sales 62.1 3. Cute doun wrapping mate. rial expense 1.]. h. Given freeher herehendiu 3.0 h A 4 4‘ A _‘.__l l'Baeyrnolde Retail coupeny Bulletin. January 27,1966, ug'What'e Happening In heat Packagingt. M. 38 B. Have you been able to reduce costs in the neat department in any way during the past two years? Percent of Total Stores Using W __ W a u too 86.0 NO 2e1 No Answer 11.9 Data From Stores Not Using wrapping Machines Percent of total Steres Hot Iel ' 5109 No 3°09 No Answer 1752 Data from fetal Stores surveyed W W IO. 6e° N0 06‘ 50 No Answer 13.!» The significant fact to be gleaned from those data is that rest departments with wrapping ssehines have ten also most ever whelsingly able to enicy sole reductiens in costs and at the seas tine have been able to increase productien rates in the process. Present day data have tended to sub- stuntiate the findings of the 1959 report. is more and acre retailers turn enthusiastically toward automation further in- creases in production efficiency and ccrrespading decreases in costs can be expected. out I.“ Profit Structures Traditionally. seat departaent costs have been relatively high. This has been caused principally for four basic reasons: 39 a. Inefficient utilisation of labor. 3; Bios processing actheds. c. Relatively low sales volumes which have pre- vented the use of higher speed equipment. ‘ Retailers themselves have set very high lini- nmn weekly sales volumes as prerequisites for the Justification and introduction of crap- ping aaohines. D. High capital invest-ent in facilities Inch are used only a portion of the work week.’ ' Also, the additional work steps uhieh are necessary for preepachaging—esuoh as the reacvhl of bone dust. traying and holding the neat fer sufficiat' color develops.“ have raised costs associated with the neat” departaut. today cutting and trapping of fresh aeat accounts for two-thirds ef the total nan-hours erpuded in the seat departaut and for 58.3 per- cut of the total lest depart-qt expenses}z holinsey and Oeapeny, lane‘s-mt Consultants, have accented the total inestore neat departant costs as fol- ions” mum Cutting hohgiu Stocking of Display Gases Custoaer dervice Cleaning of nquipaent Receiving. of Orders Ordering supervisiai ”Dreyfus. 8.3. Supplenait to the W. technical Rope”, "O'am. 1961. Pa 1. 52-1»an Profits in harketing and Distribution of leat'. 221—21109 ’0 29' ”Preliainary report to 'Imprcving Profits in harketing and Distribution of heat“, Ramsey and We. Inc" Chicago (We 19“)e Po 30 C muurwsgg 1&0 The areas of cutting and packaging are prime areas for significant cost reductions in the future. intonation should prove to be the best method by which moat departm¢its reduce total costs. The real necessity for meat departsents is the ability to undertake an integrated approach to the analysis of their total costs.” i‘ce oft. the purchase price of a certain nterial er the expense of a particular service is singled out and receives major emphasis. This practice. while reducing immediate costs. often results in increases in long-range costs somewhere else in the structure of the department. Heat departments must learn to abide by the 'total system of action“ concept. where individual costs are ainor compared to the total costs of the entire depart- ment. They must realize that the whole is sometimes much greater than the sun of its parts! 3iTBeardsell. a. 0.. "heat hanging“. raper presnted te ‘ the heat soinoe Institute at Rutgers hiversity. MIN 1959c P0 26 ADDHIOIAL nun. IAGKAODIG menus The W55m07 also asked the participating retailers to list the neat packaging problus that caused them the most trouble with respect to disturb- ances in the smooth functioning of departs-ital operations. the most common answers to this question were as follows! A. Fading and shrinking of packages. ' 8. Bloody packages. C. Broken film. D. Disooloration of the neat out. 15:. Using the incorrect side of the film for wrappin- F. Peer product visibility-cfailure to see both sides of the meat cut. G. Getting a tighter package. clearly in 1959 there were many retail operators! who were greatly dissatisfied with the basic package for fresh red meat. The auther'shc‘uld now like to present a historical development of the components of this package and thmi ana- lyse some of the some of the reasons for its disfavor smug retailers and consumers. 33:lihat's Happening in heat kahuna”. “1.. p. 65. El maturation 01" 1'33 PAOKAGB FOR FRESH RED MELT basically the package for a fresh meat out rust exhibit numerous functional characteristics. Most important. the outer wrapper must permit the free passage of oxygai to the surface of the meat in ordertc prolong its red color ever ties. In addition. this wrapper s... provide controlled nter vapor passage. odorpreofncss. flavorpreefness. grease- proofness. inertness to wetpreduets. aschinsbility. and be relatively inexpensive. the tray or card ecspenent snst adequately absorb meat fluids yet must rusin durable wha wet. i‘he total fresh meat package must have strong heat seals for package protection throughout the shelf-life of the meat. It must exhibit resistance to puncture. tear. fracture. and stretch while in the display case. on. total package must perform these two protective functions yet be transparent and clear in order to promote inpulse sales.“ rheso string-it requiremmts place a great deal of the responsibility for the ultiaate sales of packaged meat upon non-human parts I of the packaging-sorchsndising system - the components of the “silent saleslss'. the package! 33W inane. .3 6. 1&2 MPMMAMHHMFILI traditionally. frosh seat has been plaoed in a solded pulpboard tray. wrapped with a suitable ooated-oellophane filo, heat sealed and thu plaoed in a self-servioo display ease. It son he said that the preopaahasiuc of fresh rod seat in oellophane has ten respusible for the fostering of Iodern self-sorvioo seat operations. Cellophane is regenerated eellulose. a material derived frea wood pulp and setteu'. these natural asterials. after being boiled and purified, as unsorted to white sheets! nose sheets are that plaood in a sixer and a solution of saustio soda is added to for. a slurry. The eaustie soda is mad by pressure squeezing and the sheets are shredded to fora ornate. seat. the ornate are sized with earboa di- sulfide to fora a aaterial whioh looks like heavy saudust. these partieles are again dissolved in oaustie soda; the dissolved orusb is filtered to ruovo ispurities and is hue-I as viseoso-n-it is now a thiek arouse solution res.- blin; has: in appearaaoe. i'he visoese solution is mad through a narrow slit into a hath of dilute sulfurio said where it is oouvertod back to a solid ingztho fora of a sheet of oollophane. The rou oellophano thu travels on rollers through various ehoaioal baths where it boooaos transparents later it is softuod and passed around heated rollers: aha: “3 ht dry it is wound on a natal core and is ready for further processing or coating cpcrationst” Cellophane, unlike most other flexible packaging fills. is not a single product but a couple: faaily of fills engi- neered to sect a wide range of packaging needs. ”the basis for this wide adaptability of cellophane is the nuacrous and varied coatings tint are applied to the cellophane base sheet. Cellophane is the only packaging fila that is not theraoplactio. the non-theraoplastio cellulose substrate has provided the ideal. base for coatings that have nadc cellophane heat scalable and have givm this fill a complete range of barrier. slip, wetability and scalability para- actors.” .‘ilso. being a cellulose and not a plastic aatcrial cellophane is such like papcrand shares any of the advun- tagcs of paper such as stifmcss and diacnsicnal stability over tine. V Jacques Brandsnbcrgcr. a twin chcsist who was working for a French textile aanufaoturcr. discovered cellophane in 1923 while crpcriacnting with a variety of coatings designed to care cloth resistant to spills and easily cleanablc. ‘rhc tablecloth idea eventually failed, but the newly discovered aatcrial was called cellophane-Joell“ case froa the word Cellulose, and “phone " from the Irench word diaphanc, which 59 37W, Film Operations Department, American scose eno- H Corporation, Philadelphia, Penna., p. l. 58Pcrino, Don A" “The Future For Cellophane“ W W, Vol. to, No. 1, January, 1936, p. . ”"it Avisco the hphasis is hpathy' W W. Vol. 38, lo. 3. hrch, i9 . p. t ‘5 Cellophane was brought to the untea ltates aces dulpt bought that-orient righta to the aanufseturiag process in 1923. and the first ‘Aacrioanoaadc cellophane. ‘ was produced a year later. 'i'his first, collophancwas cf . the plain. transparent, hen-acistureproof. ace-heat scaling variety. It us sealed with adhesives and us used for I eras-natal and sanitary protective packaging. .Oost of the basic cellophane, however. no so. high that the aatcrial no used as a wrapper for luxury itcac only—sacs produced and ease displayed itcas were not packaged in ccllcphnc at this tine. , . The first attempt to use cellophane as a wrapper for seat occurred about 1925 whu a plain, trancparnt collea- phanc peerage for sliced beach was introduced. the package did not acct the functional requirements with regard to the shelf-life cf the acct. and the package concept coca weeds- regarded.“ a, A , The single most ispcrtant silcstono in the history of cellophane as a ram fila Inc the develth in 1927 of a process to aauufacturc acisturcprccf file. this pro- cess was dcsimd and carried out by Br. his Ohareh, a research chcaist for input.“ the uses of cellophane sore new greatly widened. particularly for the packaging of food products. WW mm” 1». x. 6 1: Ce o c. R. I. duPont dc Honours and npany, e.. w . Delaware (1952). p. 7. 1+6 The author has previously outlined the historical development in retailing policies and meat departs-2t mer- chandising practices which sore taking place concurrently with these innovations in cellophane research and technol- cgy. Again, retailers who could foresee the great growth potential in sclf~servioe merchandising made nuaerous attempts to use cellophane as a packaging'material' for fresh red meatc. * Wortunatoly. this noieturoproof «no. phone available- for meat packaging becane brittle and non- durable at the low temperatures which were required in the neat display-oases." Heat packages required a second ever- trap when the customer made her selection for purchase." Also, the number of ran-ape which were necessary on original packages of meat wasv'ery high. resulting in greatly in? creased costs. These developments.” coupled with the poor refrigeration nethods'and the inetrieieat utilization of neat department labor tlnt were prevalmt during the period. placed great restraints on the visions of the more progres- sive retailers. Cellophane'wac not‘yet ready to charge as the preferred film for meat packaging applications. Because of this, self-service meat departments were forced to remain donant, waiting patiently for some significant breakthrough in basic cellophane “research. " ' This long-suited breakthrough manifested itself in 1946 when a nitrocellulose-coatcd—collophmnc designed specifically for fresh meat packaging was marketed. The “7 film also featured a nter retardant-c-thc coating no ad- vertised as an anchored type of coating.‘2 the special coating was applied on one side of the film only. airing the innatere packaging operation the mooatod side of the cellophane sheet was placed next to the moat surface. It no the function of this unceatcd side to supply exygmi to the surface of the meat. It was absolutely essential that the uaecatcd side of the cellophane touch the moat because dry cellophane itself has a low orygal permeability rate. High oxygat transmission through the film required the for- mation of a moisture layer on the film. this layer formed evenly on the inside of the package only. that is. on the mneoatcd. wettablc side of the film. the coated side of the film permitted oxygn to utter the package and reach the neat surface uly after the umcoetcd side had become wet with acioturc. therefore. because crygai could reach the moat. 'bloom' no retained and the shelf-life of this most could be prolonged. In. addition. this special fresh meat cellophane offered neat department operators other advantages such as case of handling. clarity. adaptability to various sizes of meat cuts and relatively low cost. the controlled sci sturcprecf- moss and high oxygen transmission rate of this red meat tiClunan, i. B. . 'thc Cellophane story”. fluiblc Packaging Branch-Containers and Packaging Division, United states Departmait of Concroc. Business and Defuse services Administration (July. 1960). p. t. ha cellophane now provided retailers with an effective pack- aging material for their preopaokaged meat cuts. Retailers turned spin to cellophane. and the sclfosorVioo race was on. the dovelopmatt of this effective paehaging material us almost totally responsible for the rebirth and subse- qu-t dynamic growth of the innetorc packaging and self- sorvioc merchandising of fresh scat. Polyethylucoccatcd cellophane for fresh neat package ing was developed in 1957.63 this film utilises the same principles for “bloom“ reteetiea as did the original nitre. cellulose coated cellopmc and both films are being used presently for the iii-store packaging of fresh most a. ie for back as 1959. as a... in the W W survey. amorous moat depart-at operators were beginning to question the effectiveness of the coated cello. phone package for fresh meats. Virtually every problem area that caused extra work steps or trouble for these re- tailcrs centered around the package or use other factor that could be traced back to the package. Fresh moat collec- phancc had been effective in developing the in-stcrc pacing- ing concept, but now both retailers and film producers had begun to question their total superiority. film producers began to seriously investigate the abiliticsasof numerous 8Issinoath, H. 3.. “Cellophane“. +£51.19 ' :3 -. .-: ~_ m. Vole 39. “a 1“. Hemhj . g - ' '. . Do a 1P9 thermoplastic films to more effectively package fresh meet. both from a protective and from a merchandising. standpoint. Film packaging cf rodmeats was born and had grown be. cause of cellophane. and until. 1959 reasons for changing to another film were not sufficiently conclusive to warrant- suoh a change. the .timoowas' ripe..howcvcr. for other pack- aging films to enter the fresh seat was market-ma market which had for so long been totally dominated by the coated ccllophancs. In the years since 1959. many plastic films have attempted to dislodge coated cellophane from its posi- tion as the preferred fresh meat packaging film. 'In the opinion of the author only one of those films has --cnough in- herent advantages to perform this feet. In the future, the coated cellophancs should receive their strongest challenge from polyvinyl chloride. POLIVINIL CHLORIDE A3 A FRESH HEAT FILM Polyvinyl chloride itself 'is a synthetio resin unitn it produced rm the bycproduots of coal and potroloul pro- sessinc. iottylau gas is liberated “ti-u both these basic natural products during this processins. 'Ths scanner vinyl chloride any n. m. in several ‘difforont into-tn. lost sca- m asthod is by the addition of hydrcohlorio acid to tho acetylene was. ‘ hlyvinyl chloride resin at this n... in the sanufccturins process is a losbbcilins liquid which is in.the acsoous state at nor-cl roon.oonditions.' to produce tn. polynor. this liquid vinyl onloi-ide is calcified in Iator’cnd.snh1ectod to a polyasrisatioa catalyst-nsuslly sonc type of peroxidea-undor slightly elevated tsaperatnro and pressure.“ iftor further processins and mm opera- tions. the polyvinyl chloride rosin takes the fora of a fine. shite pcsdor and is m ready to be oonvsrted into plastic fill. lost of the polyvinyl chlorido'fill,dosisnod for the un-storo packasins of fresh seats is ssnsfacturod hy the 'blom tubo oxtnsim' nothod. In this prooosl the oxtrldod notorial charges from a boil-shaped die in the fora of a tub. and is literally ”1310'!” into a mo 37ml... _a_i_.__._.i A “W Ethyl Corporation - Visquocn vbglon. orro Han o. Indiana (1963), Bootion IV. Po o 50 51 air. this bubble of film is subsequently cooled, collapsed and wound onto rolls. In the first stage of manufacture, raw materials such as polyvinyl chloride resins. plasti- cizere. stabilizers, lubricants and color toners are dry blended and fed into the conical hopper of the oxtruder. The plasticizer, by far the nest important of the additives to the basic resin, is compounded with the resin in speci-o fiod amounts to control the degree of softness in the fin- ishod film. In rod neat polyvinyl chloride fills additional plasticizor is added to insure that the manufactured film will exhibit the desired softness. Next in importance, the stabilizer is utilized to minimise decomposition and degra- dation uhich might tin. place rithin the film during .m- ago and use. Lubricants, in the fern of m... .r. added to tn. dry air in very small amounts to reduce friction within the raw materials and to increase their rate of flour during the procoasing operations. Color toners. also added in minute ascunts, aid in producing maxim clarity in the finished fills. fronsforsation of the raft aatorials to plastic fora by the oxtruder rosultsfrou their passage through a series of stages which produces fusion of the particles due to in- creased temperature and pressure. In the final airing step; oonpleto fusion of the plastic occurs and it is fed into tn. die. In the die tn. plastic is foraod into . tube .: miter. wall thichtossa is this tube emerges from the die 52 it is cooled so that its nclocular structure will lend itself to orientation. or molecular alignnent. it this point air pressure is interJeetod into the tubesnd forms it into a thin bubble which is approximately twenty feet high. this air pressure gives the film its lateral. nelso- ular orientation. or its crimtation in the cross direc- tion of the finished roll. it the top of the bubble the film is collapsed by a set of rollers; the speed at which the file is pulled over these rollers determines the amount of longitudinal alignment of the film. or its snout cf ori- entation in the machine direction. 'iftor oollapse and two- directional molooular alignnmit. the film m... over chilled rollers which 'look' its molecular struoturo into place. It is then wound on cores and stored in an air con-- diticnod environnut until further finishing operations are mm. such as slitting and packing." I N In this extrusim proeoss biaxislly oriented polyvinyl chloride film which shrinks in both the saohino and cross dirooticnsmpcn the application of heat can be produced dur- ing one single operational cycle. The aolooules of the bi- axielly orimtod polyvinyl ohloride film are said to possess an 'elastio sencry' or to exhibit” "shrink enorgy'. i fa- miliar analogy should olearly illustrate those concepts. first. a number of rubber bands are stretched in too perpen- dialer directims and then mm. Next tn. bands are E'neynolcn no Illa Fabricaticn' Reynolds Hotels company iiehnand. Virginia. pp. Hts L8. 53 thawed until they snap back together. Like the rubber bands. the acieeules of the thermoplastic WW1 chloride filo can be stretched in two directions to produce new and dif- fermt slimmmts. l'ho molecules 'froose' in these new posi- tions as the film is rapidly cooled. Then reheated, as in a packaging operation. these molecules attempt to return to their original positions. is a result of this mass soles- ular action the film tries to attain its initial size by shrinking.“ ‘ . As previously amticnod. the aaount of this ‘shrink energy“ can be controlled by changes in the basic extrusion process. Therefore. the asnufaoturer can design fills with widely differing shrink characteristics in order to meet varying packaging applications or situations. Also, biaxial orientation of the polyvinyl chloride simultaneously and sub- stantially upgrades the physical properties of the film itself. The stretching operation produces a thinner, stronger and less expensive film based on price per unit area quotations. In addition. extrusion and the orientation process for polyvinyl chloride enable this film to or“: tn. following galoral .4. vantages for meat departmmt operators. . first. polyvinyl chloride offers extras clarity. espo- oially for finished pachgos which must sell thonsolves. This clarity oit‘tho package provides for easy product and 66'8hrinkx A How Datum in films“, Iodein Packaging. v01o 3"“. ”Co 12. mg. 1961. P. 116s 5; can idutifieatien in tn. display ease; also. encoun- mob eliminate fogging of the finished package are added tothsrodnoatfilmduringtholenfaotlsimspsosesst‘ his insures that offootivo “It! id‘tiflssti‘ sill bsnintsinsdmoutthsmli‘filihsfthsmtm. sooend. polyvinyl chloride “hints aeolian inset or pasture strength. his sales fa a taunt. durable. highly abrasion MM till for Int mm mil..- tisnst thebisxisloridtatiummtimtoine oreasothoisysotresistsnooofthooriutedfilms‘ovuto truty ti... .. mush .. that of the undated rile." ii... ifan‘initialputetuohasbenudeisapashsouappod titty-1m! chloridethispneturowiiinotsuer spread MW tn. shelf-life .r the tool: asst. tint 1.. even though tn. basis isymot mm .r poly- Vinyl chloride is very high the menu. of this film to a ontinuod tar is slid-anally floater. third. ”13711371 ohlsrido ublos most depart-eats to «.91.: nutter. tighter mam mu. out... it shrinkstooufermpa'festlytethemMOIstreo taims its dim-isieual stability over time. NW1 chloride eon faoilitato cost reductions due to dose-oases in the nus- tor of resrsps made over a period of time. Polyvinyl ”claw. Aldo s.. "Orimted rolyvinyl cum-ii. rims-I. loynolds hotels company. . m 11 i f ‘31?» U4. ‘ m 1*: s'tT'iL ’ “O '* .Po . 55 chloride overwraps also reduce the number of package “lockers'o-packages that have failed in the display case. The orientation process and resultant “elastic memory“ of the film enable polyvinyl chloride to retain its excel- lent cling properties throughout the life of the product. fourth. polyvinyl chloride packages are non-sticking, allowing finished packages to be stacked immediately after heat sealing. The nature of this sealing operation itself for fresh meat enables polyvinyl chloride to provide a more protective package then competitive films. Polyvinyl chlo- ride packages for fresh most are produced on an.L-sealer. This type of sealer bonds by welding two film surfaces to- gether, producing a package seal that is non-stripable. compared with competitive films which are coated and can be easily stripped apart. Moreover, polyvinyl chloride packages how no affinity for collecting dust while in mass displays. Therefore. most cases look better, indi- vidual packages look better, and increased sales result from in-storo meat packaging with this film. Fifth. and most important. the controlled water vupor transmission.rate and the high oxygen permeability of red meat polyvinyl chloride film enable packaged meats to breathe, resulting in prolonged shelf-life and maintenance of desired red meat "bloom” for extended time periods. Polyvinyl chloride offers these basic advantages to meat department operators; nevertheless, it is competitively 56 r. priced with all other fresh meat films. and. in fact. is priced lower than its primary ccnpetition for the in-stcre packaging market! Both fresh meat cellophane and polyvinyl chloride offer numerous advantages to the modern retail meat department operation. the author should now like to present a comparative evaluation of the relative advantages offered by these two competing films with respect to the prerequi- sites necessitated for effective in-store meat packaging. A COHPMIVR EVALUATION O! CELLOPEAIE AND POLIVDIIL CHLORIDE L8 FRESH um IILHS The Color Cycle for fresh meats. as previously explained. is a natural chemical phenomenon which proceeds ever time ir- regardless of the packaging material utilised. That is. no packaging medium knoun can totally eliminate the oxidation of myoglobin to metmycglcbin which occurs despite stringently controlled tenpcrature conditions in the display case. it best. all that can be expected from a package for fresh red meat is the assurance of optimal shelf-life of the meat. With respect to this factor. both fresh meat cellophane and polyvinyl chloride are very effective in prolonging the time required fer metmyoglcbin formation and resultant removal of the package from the display case. Because of the high oxygen transmission rates and the controlled water vapor transmis- sion rates featured by both cellophane and polyvinyl chlo- ride. packages made from both these films react essentially alike over time as packages for fresh meat except as the in- dividual meat cut is affected by variations in moisture loss. Therefore. muons cf the abilities of cellophane and polyvinyl chloride to retain the red ”bloom" of packaged moat cuts do not reveal a clear competitive advantage for either packaging film. Beth films perform effectively with- in the natural limitsf imposed by the degradation process it- self. Color retention although extremely important in fresh 57 53 meat paohging should not be .de the sole indicator of efficiency displayed by the packaging film. herohandic- ing characteristics of the individual package also cannot be overlooked. Polyvinyl chloride docs greatly surpass cellophane, however, with regard to finished package quality and appear- ease. the softness and shrinkability of polyvinyl chloride tables it to stretch and cling tightly to the meat out, resulting in a smooth package without bulges or excessive ~ wrinkling, no utter how oddly-shaped the itch. Also. poly- vinyl chloride retains its cling properties throughout the shelf-life of the meat. thus assuring that the package will retain its excellent appearance. Unlike the loose cellophane package which reflects light and makes it difficult for cen- camera to see the meat out. the excellent conformity of the ”W1 chloride insures that optimum product visibility will be maintained at all times. ’ ‘i'hc biaxial aridtatien of ”mm: chloride rm during the manufacturing process substantially increases its impact strength and its resistance to tearing after an initial pasture has occurred. ' ‘l'hc red meat ccllophnc sheet lacks this molecular alignant and, therefore. does not ex- hibit as great an impact strugth as does polyvinyl chlo- ride. Impact resistamce is very important to a package that must cell itself in a self-service departmat. Heat packages constructed from polyvinyl chloride show more 59 resistance to puncture from repeated handling by customers during di splay. thereby reducing the labor costs associated with roux-spring and redisplaying the same package. The cri» entation process also improves the low temperature flexing quality of polyvinyl chloride. Again. cellophane does not undergo this process and is inherently more brittle than polyvinyl chloride. even at room temperatures. This differ- once in brittleness is even more pronounced at meat-case temperatures-another reason for the fewer number of rcwraps necessitated when the initial wrap is made with polyvinyl chloride. rolyvinyl chloride definitely shows much better anti- fogging properties than does cellophane. rho red meat poly- vinyl chloride film pachges will not fog under normal in- stere display conditions. while cellophane packages will tend to fog under these same conditions. studies have provai that various constituents of fresh meats tend to do- grade conventional cellophanc films. reducing their clarity and ultimately leading to package wrinkling and reduced strength.‘a Literature from manufacturers of both cellophane and polyvinyl chloride concerning the in-store packaging process itself shows basically dichotomous findings. hanufacturers of both films claim tint faster '11?me speeds are attain- able with their own particular film. the post-packaging mapecial Films For fresh heats': W. Vol. 31, “Us 10. MO. 19”. Fe 1°7o 60 requirements for cellophane packages, however. again give a competitive edge to polyvinyl chloride when the total- packaging-displaying time is considered. Polyvinyl chic- ride packages can be heat-sealed at much lower temperatures than can cellophane packages. Because of this fact fresh meat can be displayed almost immediately after packaging with polyvinyl'ohloride. without packages sticking together after sealing, inter-package scorching. or early meat dis- coloration from contact with still-hot film. When packaging with cellophane. valuable time is lost because fresh.mcat packages must be cooled somewhat before they are merchandised. .Also. molded pulp trays are not required when fresh meat is packaged in p01771nyl chloride meat film. These trays are necessary for cellophane pack- aging because the high heat-sealing temperature of the film would burn the most were it not for the protection afforded by the pulpboard tray. In combination the factors listed above give polyvinyl chloride an overwhelming advantage over cellophane when the fresh meat package. including both its functional and merchandising characteristics. is con- sidered as a total entity. Efficiencies in both production operations and market- ing channels in the four decades since its introduction have enabled cellophane prices to decrease considerably. today fresh meat cellophane is priced from sixty-two to seventy-nine cents per pound. compared with a base price for 61 polyvinyl chloride of from ninety-four cents to one dollar per pound.69 These bassinice quotations can be very misleade ing, however, in view of the film requirements for fresh meat packaging. Since individual packaging operations kn- valve not pounds but square hashes of film. a cost per thoun sand square inch figure for these two films would be much more significant. Assuming the average yield of three-quarter mil poly- vinyl chleridc to be 32,000 square inches per pound.aad the average price of this film to be ninety-seven cents per pound. WW1 chloride costs the meat department retailer Just .030 cents per thousand square inches.70 In.a similar'manncr. assuming the average yield of eme ail coated cellophane to be 19.500 square hashes per pound and the average price of this film to be seventy cents per pound. coated cellophane costs the meat department operator .036 cents per thousand square inches}1 “Prices quoted for cellophane are from Price Listen-hate“ United States-mas of January 1. 1966. l E. I. duPont do Honours. Inc. 2 American Viscose Division-Inc corporation 3 Olin-hathiescn Chenical Corporation Prices quoted for polyvinyl chloride are from: Boskirt. Rd... “The Plastiscope'. MIR—W Vol. #3, . he. 5. January. 1966. p. #1. 7°“i'he Plastiscspe'. .. The average price figure is simply the mid-pain e e price range previously quoted. ln"'<.!ellophane", W, Vol. 23. No. 2. February. 1965. p‘. llh. The average price figure is simply the mid-point of the price range previously quoted. 62 This method of cost comparisons is a much more practical and realistic approach to the problem of pack- agingmatcrial cost allocation. since the films are used on an area basis, costs per unit area are much more value- ablc to the retailer. Using these cost per area data which are based on averages alone, polyvinyl chloride red meat film is much less expensive-om this case seventeai percent (17%) less expensive-«ham the coated cellophane“ The extreme strength characteristics of polyvinyl chloride enable meat packagerc to use this film in thinner gauges than they would normally use cellophane. This accounts for the much higher yield values for polyvinyl chloride than for cellophane, with the resultant savings in material costs being accrued to the retailer and subsequently to the consumer in the form of lower retail prices. Polyvinyl chloride has shown still another advantage over coated cells- phsnc for the in-stors packaging of fresh meats-nits price per unit area of film used is lower. i'o smarize this section, the author should like to briefly present some typical attitudes of meat department personnel in chain stores which have recently switched meat packaging films from cellophane to polyvinyl chloride. heat departmait managers in retail outlets which were using polyvinyl chloride film felt that its advantages over cello- plune were: a. Better overall appearance. B. Better overall performance. 63 c. Better heat scaling. ' D. Better resistance to tearing. E. Enabled faster manual wrapping. 1!. Required less rewrapping. G. Better bloom retention. B. New wrapping personnel could be taught quicker. heat wrapping personnel said they preferred polyvinyl chlo- ride to cellophane becausel a. They could wrap factor. B. There were less rewraps. 0. Packages looked better-ethcsc people actually took more pride in their work because of a change in remains filmsl72 _ In 195“. Jchm n. hmsbsttca of cum and deepen: stated that 'there is need for shrinkcbility in films for fresh meats to assure a package which is free from voids between tu- and meat."73 . . . Today this much desired characteristic is being dra- matically offered to retailers by polyvinyl chloride fresh meat film. the inherent advantages of this film ever collee phone plus the enthusiasm of retail moat packagers who have switched from cellophane to rel-"11111 chloride are sure to stimulate a great growth potential for this relative new- comer to the meat-packaging industry. Polyvinyl chloride has and will continue to exert tremmdous pressure on cellophane in this vast market area. 753 H“ cyzclds Metals Company, Technical Bales Bulletin, Mn Fe c . ”memes“. John a... ”heat Packaging criteria", gggm W. Vol. 27, no. 6. February. 1951}. p. 13 . mm PROJECTIOHS Cmsuncr Bound For Fresh heat Historical trends concerning the consumption of fresh neat in the united States. conbincd with “mum: can. snncr characteristics and attitudcs about fresh meat and sons basic cconcnics of neat consumption. till yield valu- able information which can be utilised to are predictions about future eonsunpticn patterns for fresh meat. Since the turn of the century the long-run trend in Anerican meat consumption has been up. Nevertheless. the percentage of consumer disposable income spent for fresh neat has not increased even though cons-acre have increased the aunt of services purchased with this most. lsacdiately after Uorld war II when supplies cf some ccnsuner seeds were relatively short compared with 1. supplies of seat, a scacwhat higher percentage of disposable income as spat on neat. since amounts of neat had also been rationed durins the hr. the post-ser lifting of restrictions resulted in a natural increase in consumer spending for fresh neat. In the tic decades after world War 11. however. the retail value of red recto-expressed as a percentage of consumer disposable income-whee moved downward. There are two besic reasons for the decline in the retail value of fresh meat. First, consunpticn "adjustments to acre normal levels after the high post-World war II ccnsunption levels have a. 65 functioned to depress the retail value of fresh seats. Second, neat prices over the past twenty years have not risen as fast as the prices of other commodities. con- suitors, therefore, could buy the same or greater quantities of fresh neasts with a smaller percentage of the food dol- lar.7“ Let us now consider the income-elasticity of demand for fresh red meats. Based upon the physical quantity of meat seamed. the income elasticity of demand for all species of fresh meat has been calculated to be approxisatcly .33.” This figure means that a one percmt (11) increase in real consuacr in- coneo-the true income of the consumer after all relevant price changes are taken into account-omuld be expected to produce a .35 percent increase in the total quantity of all fresh meat consumed. These data indicate that the total demand function for fresh neats is inelastic. the: supplies of seat are scarce retail prices are higher and consuncrs receive fewer pounds of neat for their additional expendi- tures; when supplies are plentiful the opposite adjustment occurs.” Large percentage changes in the prices of fresh neats are associated with relatively mall percmtage changes in consumption of these meats. There are definite limitations to the capacity of the human stomach. and. 7“Butz, DeleWE. and George L. Baker. W truct e o he t . The so. Boston. 88c . Pa ”Luau p- 10. 76Eccnc c o the o c - . M, De s 66 therefore, increases in the total volume of food purchases can be made only at the expense of severe decreases in re- tail meat prices. Based upon consumer expenditures for meat consumed, the income elasticity of demand for all fresh meat has been calculated to be $5.77 This figure means that a one percent increase in real consumer income mill produce a .155 percent increase in the amount of money spat for meat. is real income increases consumers do not simply oonsmnc more of the same meat cuts that they have consumed in the past, but tend to purchase higher priced cuts of meat, better quality meat, or kinds of meat that include more meat department service costs. The income elasticity for meat calculated on the basis of quantity purchased is declining and should tend to decline in the future. Therefore. most of the change in total red meat consumption in the futin'e sill be the result of increases in population. not from significant increases in per capita consumption rates. is incomes rise the basic wants of consumers with respect to quantity of meat consumed are more nearly satisfied. Also. income elasticities for fresh meats based on expenditures for meat cuts are likely to remain high in the future as consumers continue to purchase higher-priced outs and more builta-in services. 77mm Changing structure of the Heat Eocnog, op. cit... Po s 67 The Importance of the Package as A Sales Man for Fresh Meats These economic data indicate that future consumption patterns for fresh.mcats. with respect to both quantity and quality of meat purchased. will tend to place even more of the direct responsibility for the ultimate sale of pro-packaged meats upon.the package itself. More effective packages will be required for’all neat outs because, as the real incomes of consumers tend to rise, these consumers will demand and purchase better quality seats. The phys- ical and chemical quality of the seat will tend to remain excellent, and will not necessitate substantial upgrading -the package of the future will become increasingly in» pcrtant in the conveyance of improved psychological quality of the meat out to the potential customer. In connection with this. self-service meat studies have shown that shoppers are more critical of meats purchased in pre-packaged form. Agann. self-service meat department operators must stress quality in the packaging of all types of fresh meats sold in order to insure complete customer satisfaction. The 7th duPont Consumer Buying Habits study of 1965 yields an important statistic which will function to sub» stantiate the importance of the fresh meat package of tomorb row. Purchases of individual shoppers were classified into four categories: A. Specifically planned - a specific brand or item purchased as planned. 68 B. Generally planned - a general classification of items to be purchased, such as a leaf of bread. without reference to some particular brand. a. Substitute a» a change from a specifically or generally planned purchase. D. Unplanned - sn item bought which the shopper did not have in mind when entering the store; this category represents the “impulse pur— chases" made by the shopper. The last three purchase classifications of this list require that some type of comparative evaluation between packages or between brands of a particular item be made by the shop- per before an ultimate purchase decision takes place. For these three decision areas the package has the opportunity to exert tremendous influence over the shopper. With respect to fresh meat purchases this study found that fifty-eight percent (58%) of the purchase decisions of participating consumers were made within the store.78 The individual package for fresh meat does indeed play an important part in total sales, and this significant influence by the pack- age should inorease in the future. The future importance of the package for fresh seats is also reflected by the general axios that the consumer always sells herself more satisfactorily than any clerk can.” studies have shown that the shopper tends to over-buy when she has the opportunity to look over a full case of pre- packaged meat and pick out what appeals to her. Lain. the VBThO 5th duPont gonggmg; QEIEEE Habit! gtggzfil265. 0P. 91‘s. PP. - . 79"li‘ackaged heats...‘1'heir Background and Their Future", mm" P. 80- 69 importance of the neat package to the total sales generated by the meat department has been shown. Thus far the author has shown that increases in future consumption of fresh red neat will depend primarily upon in- creases in total population rather than increases in per capita consumption. Changing consumption patterns and in- creases in disposable income will be reflected in acre dis- crininating attitudes by consumers concerning their tastes and preferences for fresh meat. Demand for quality, and uni- fornity among retail meat outs over tine and deland for ma» creased meat department services may beexpeeted to rise in the future. These factors will combine to further increase the inportance cf the fresh aeat package as a aarketing tool. Technological Innovation and Change- The Role of Centralized Pro-Packaging With respect to technological innovation and change for the seat industry as a whole, there is little evidence to in- dicate that any major innovations will occur in the seat in- dustry in the near future. Historically, the seat industry has been relatively slow in developing and inplenenting new processes and techniques andszthis trend should continue in the future. However. the evolution of one particular packaging concept should prove to be of extreme importance to every person who has contact with fresh seats. whether this con- tact be in processing, packaging and merchandising. or pur- chasing. 70 All who have an interest in fresh meat are watching the development of the concept of centralized fresh meat pre- packaging. Ideally, from an economic standpoint, all pack- aging of fresh meats should be done within the slaughtering plant; From the standpoint of the meat packer. cmtralised packaging would allow the packer brand control over the pro- duct. Centralized pre-packagin‘g would also give the re- tailer complete selectivity as to the types of meat cuts he would receive and display. Among members of the meat industry there is at present a strong divergence of opinion concerning centralized pre- packaging. Some individuals feel that centralized pre- packaging is inevitable. while others think tint it still has too many unsolved problems. Before centralized pre- packaging becomes a reality the following problems must be eliminated. First and foremost, consumer aversion to the purchase of frozen meats must be overcome. Frozm meats have never sold well, in spite of the fact that most con- sumers freeze a major share of their meat in home-freezers or refrigerators before it is ultimately consumed. Propo- nents of centralized pro-packaging will have to develop ex- tensive consumer-education campaiws before this concept will be truly successful. Second, packaging materials and systems will have to be greatly improved before centralized pre-packaging can be put into effect. Shelf-life require- ments for centrally packaged fresh seats will necessitate approximately a doubling of the protective characteristics 71 exhibited by the packaging material. New films possessing entirely different characteristics may have to be developed. Third, labor unions are and will continue to be a definite deterrent to the progress of centralized pro-packaang. At present labor unions regard this trend as a threat to the Job security of their members and will oppose this concept until adequate compromises ean be worked out. ‘ Because of these problems associated with centralized pro-packaging of fresh meats. transition from in-store to centrally-located packaging facilities can come about only when a higher level of understanding and agreement between packer, retailer. union member and consumer is achieved. it the present time the author feels that this required level of aaeement between participating parties will not be achieved within the near future. In other words. the in- store packaging of fresh meats should continue to grow and prosper. The afoot of Polyvinyl Chloride on a Traditional Cellcphane Market In conclusion. the author should like to make several evaluations concerning the future of cellophane as the pre- ferred packaging film for red meats. In 1965 approximately sixty-nine million pounds ofcoated cellophane were utilized in the packaging of fresh meats.8° In the few short years since its introduction, however. polyvinyl chloride has A_ "Cellophane”, Modern Packs c ed a- 66. Vol. 39, No. “A. hoGrawa-Hill, Eon New for]: i193“. p. 26. to 72 made serious inroads into the dominance of cellophane for fresh meat packaging. It has been estimated that poly- vinyl chloride has already replaced twenty percent (20%) of the cellophane market for in-store neat packaging.81 In a speech prepared for the 1963 meeting of the American Heat Institute, Roland Welborn of Swift and Company, stated that "the real hope for the meat industry lies with those who develop a 'prcduct' marketing approach and who tend more and.more away from a ’oommodity' marketing spa preach.'82 Basic to this “product“ marketing approach is a meat package which stimulates impulse sales while protect- ing its contained product. Because of its inherent advan» tages over cellophane, polyvinyl chloride will continue to rapidly displace cellophane as the preferred packaging film for fresh red meats. In the future, further'innova~ tions in and advantages of in-store meat packaging which previously could be attributed to cellophane will be dir- ectly traceable to the emergence of polyvinyl chloride fill. Today, because of the rapid growth and enthusiastic accept- ance of polyvinyl chloride as a packaging material for fresh meats, manufacturers of cellophane have been forced to take a second look at this film which for so long has dominated fresh-neat packaging. In fact, one major nanup facturer of cellophane recently began to produce and market Ei:Packaging Films". Modern Elastigg, Vol. #3. No. 5. January. 1966. Po 9 e I 829310“? Heat Sty. 22: cite. D. 12s 73 polyvinyl chloride for meats! The effect of this new and dynamic packaging material-~polyvinyl chloride-~on traditional meat-packaging principles. materials, and operations has been startling. The entire meat-packaging industry is sure to benefit from this effect for many years to come. BIBLIOGRAPHI Gore!- Imdn- W; 1950. Fowler, Stewart. site ket o; ~,~"-i“' .4 . Denfllle, mine es :er e “cm H ehere. InoOI 19570 McCarthy, 3. Jerome. figmaoha Homewood. Neleon, Paul E. end Preston. Lee E. W good}u Beta Ce e tn . Ber e ey, o e: a e 0 Bus neee Economic: Reeeeroh «- Univereity or California, 1966. ' Commerce - Bueineee -- tien, January, 1965. ‘ -._ muted atetee Depertnent Bineeth H. H. “Cello lune," «393$. xmx. No. A. Stout. Theme '1‘. end Willie“. Hillard P. W W‘ rm rem Mao .. 74 BIBLIOGRAPHI PmODIOLLS “it Avieoo the Emphasis in Empathy“. W Converter. XXXVIII. “Ge 3 (March: . Pe e Ball. 0. Olin. "Here Are Foote an Color Chengee In Peek- aging of Fred: Meat Onte'. W CXXXXIII. N0. 27 (December. 3 g . Pe e .3033” Meet Packaging W22 N-tflw Ho. 25 (J‘une 22. 1957). Beekirk, R. L. “The Pleetieee e'. W XXXXIII. "Ce, (January, 19 6): Po e Bretzler L. J.. Butler. 0. 12.. end mm. 3.3.. mi‘he and of Baeteria on the Color of Prepaohged Retail Beef Cute', W, VII. No. 10 (October. 1953). pp. 397‘h00e "Concilhzne', W, XXIII. No. 2 (rebrnery. 1965). p0 e Charlton, F. 8. and Belong. R. 1’. “Me end Perleebility', MW XXIX. No. 7(Keroh. 1956). p. 227. ”Dieooloration at Fresh Red. um end Ito 3.1»:on to Film Oxygen Permeability“, W Ix. No. It (”rile 1955). P- 194. “Federal Meet Inspection labeling Progrem'. .Agggefietign gt m. . 00 1 ennnry, - ,p. “- Pelleragna David A. "Pair Teeting' compel-ea new Pilne MI in color or man now- W X. No.6 (June. 1965). y. 92. “Flow sheets of Prepeekeged. Preeh Heete". W. VII. No. 9 (September. 1953), pp. 350-3 Hoolmen, B. 0. “Problems In Packaging Heat Produote' e Natl . cuv. No. 16 (ipril 20. {91%). De 0 Invere. G. c. 'Dieooloratien or Packaged Bed Heat“. “9 ea W. XXI. No. 5 (January. 19%). p. 127 75 76 "Heat Package" Report", Mode. . m. Ne. ll (July. 19h8). Po 126e “Oxygen Control Key to Fresh Meet color". W W CXXXIII. No. 7(Pebrnary l . . p. 21. "Packaged Meats...Their Background end Their Future”. godern Paclcaging. XVIII. No.6 (February. 1916). p. 77. “Pa ing Films". W XXXXIII. Ho. 5 (January. 196 )3 Do 980 ’ Perino. Dom A. ”The Future For Collaphane". W eefi.£2&l.£!£1£££2:. XXXX..No.1(JInner7. . p- Bamobottom. John ll. "Heat Packaging Criteria”. .W W. XXVII’ N006 (February. 195“). P. e "Shrink: A New Dimeneicn in Film”. .W. XXXIV’ No. 12 (August. 1961). Pe e 'Seoial Film For Freon Heate' W. m1. no. 10. (Jun.. 1958). p. 10%. “What's Happening in Heat Packaging". an we we N00 “ (April. 1959’. PP. ' ‘ BIBLIOGRAPHY REPORTS American Viscose Division. FMC Corporation. 'w e - phone Is Made. Philadelphia. American Viscose Division. FnC Corporation. Afim Qellcphane Meat Packaging Manual. Philadelp a. Cryovac Division. H. R. Grace Conpany. Study. Duncan. South Carolina: Conpi on . Crycvao Division. H. 3. Grace Company. 1%. Dreyfus. 3.1... Duncan. South Carolina: Novel: er. . 3.1. duPont do Honours and Company Inc. Consume; §%zig§ Egbitg sung; lfléfi. Hi on. Delaware: 9 5. 3.1. duPont do Honours and Company. Inc. W Cellophang. 1 Uihington. Delaware: 1952. Ethyl Corporation. Visqueen Division. ec e Manual. Terre Haute. Indiana: 1963. McKinsey and Co.. Inc. _- gerchandiging. New to HoKinsey and We. Inc. ”‘u t! at stribut eat. - cage: . National Academy of Sciences. National Research Comoil. geef For Tomomw. Hashington. D.C.i 1960. The Packaging Institute. 3: - 1 t 3- at he 2 ". .1. ual Nations. Pa kalng - u. .: vane . . co. '. Or an ed Pot" . ‘ oride Films". New Iork: 1961. The Packaging Institute. 2529;; accented pt fie 24th 119. Nat ona ckn 0 Ba . .0 . Energ- Pa 3 3 So once oug Research: A Case History in Meet Packaging.“ Nee Iork: 1962. Reynolds Metals Company. 'Reynolon PVC Film Fabrication". Richmond. Virginia. Reynolds Metal: company. W’ Richmond. Virginia: January 2?. 9 . v.3. Department of Coneroe. Business and Defense Services Administration. Clunan. A. B. ”The Cellophane Story“. "Eamon. DeCe' My. 1960. 77 BIBLIOGELPHI UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL Beardsell. A. C. “Meat Packaging“. Paper presented to the heat Science Institute at Rutgers university. August. 1959. 78 HICHIGQN STRTE UNIV. 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