Meat, seafood and frozen food packaging

Protein packaging fails in three ways: oxygen gets in and the colour turns, a bone or fin punctures the film, or the seal opens in the cold chain. The structures below are chosen against those failure modes.

Vacuum, shrink or retort

These three are often used interchangeably in enquiries and they are not the same thing.

  • Vacuum bags pull air out and seal. Good for portioned cuts, cheese, fish fillets and sous-vide. Smooth bags need a chamber machine; embossed bags have a channelled surface so an external clip sealer can extract air.
  • Shrink bags are dipped or tunnelled after sealing so the film contracts tight to an irregular shape. This is what primal cuts, whole birds and cheese blocks need, because a vacuum bag leaves loose film that creases and traps purge.
  • Retort pouches are built to survive 121 °C sterilisation for around 30 minutes, so the product is shelf stable without refrigeration.

Barrier structures for protein

Nylon is the workhorse. PA/PE co-extrusions give the puncture and abrasion resistance that bone and shell demand, while the PE sealant layer tolerates the fat and moisture at the seal line that would defeat a weaker film.

  • PA / PE — the standard high-barrier vacuum and shrink structure for chilled and frozen meat.
  • PA / EVOH / PE — EVOH raises the oxygen barrier sharply, which is what extends colour life on beef and poultry.
  • Bone-in grades — heavier gauge and tougher nylon for lamb legs, rib racks and anything with a sharp edge.
  • PET / AL / PA / CPP — full-foil retort laminate for ready meals and sauces.
  • Transparent retort — PA/RCPP where the buyer wants to see the product and still sterilise it.

We run 2–5 layer co-extrusion with gauge control from 0.015 mm to 0.3 mm, so gauge can be tuned to the cut rather than taken off a stock list.

Cold chain and frozen

Film that is fine at 4 °C can go brittle at −18 °C. Frozen work needs a sealant chosen for low-temperature impact, and seals wide enough to survive handling once the pack is rigid. Back-seal pillow bags for portioned chicken and IQF product are a different specification from a chilled vacuum bag even where the barrier numbers look similar.

Purge management matters commercially: a bag that lets the cut move loses drip weight, and drip weight is margin. Shrink grades hold the cut still.

Sous-vide and ready meals

Boilable vacuum bags are rated for pasteurisation temperatures and hold seal integrity through a long low-temperature cook. Retort pouches go further, to 121 °C for around 30 minutes, which is the threshold for ambient-stable ready meals. If you are moving a chilled SKU to shelf-stable, the pouch, the seal width and the sterilisation validation all change together — not just the film.

Compliance and traceability

Meat and seafood buyers get audited, so the packaging has to be auditable too. Our production runs under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, with BRC Global Standard and ISO 22000 for food safety and US FDA food-contact compliance. Inspection is to AQL 1.5 with full batch traceability, and resin is compounded within our group so the material record goes back further than the converting stage.

Products for this sector

Not listed? Every item is made to order, so tell us the format, film structure, size and volume and we will quote against your specification. Send us a specification.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a vacuum bag and a shrink bag?

A vacuum bag removes air and seals, leaving loose film around an irregular cut. A shrink bag contracts tight to the product after sealing, which is what primal cuts, whole birds and cheese blocks need to avoid creasing and trapped purge.

Do you supply bone-in grades?

Yes. Bone-in shrink bags use heavier gauge and tougher nylon for lamb legs, rib racks and other sharp-edged cuts.

Can your retort pouches take 121 °C?

Yes — our retort pouches are built for 121 °C sterilisation for around 30 minutes, in full-foil, transparent PA/RCPP and recyclable mono-PP structures.

Do I need a chamber machine or an external sealer?

Smooth vacuum bags need a chamber machine. Embossed bags have a channelled surface so an external clip sealer can extract air — tell us which machine you run and we will quote the matching bag.

What film thickness do you offer?

Gauge control runs from 0.015 mm to 0.3 mm across 2–5 layer co-extrusion, tuned to the cut rather than taken from a stock list.

Where to go next

We answer every enquiry within 12 hours and issue a detailed quotation within 24 hours. Send us a specification.