Pre-prepared food plays a huge role in the way we eat at home. According to a recent Mintel survey, 86% of all adults eat ready meals, with three in ten of us consuming them at least once a week. The appeal of ready meals is based on convenience and affordability, and they also require very little domestic energy – a few minutes in a microwave costs a lot less than turning on an oven or hob. Ready meals can also be heated up in households with limited cooking facilities.
The UK market for ready meals is worth in the region of £4 billion. Prepared meals are consumed by all income and age groups, in broadly equal proportions. While the most popular meals are traditional favourites such as shepherd’s pie, sausage and mash and lasagne, there is growing demand for plant-based foods and restaurant quality gourmet products.
What are the Key Issues in Ready Meal Packaging?
From a consumer point of view, packaging for ready meals has to take into account multiple considerations including:
-
Hygiene - food safety and secure sealing
-
Convenience - ease of use for consumers, including peeling and resealing when cooking
-
Cooking options – can packaging be used in ovens and/or microwaves?
-
Shelf life - longevity, freezability
-
Appearance – packaging must have shelf appeal for consumers
The range of equipment available to ready meal producers is extensive and can meet the most demanding requirements.
How Many Types of Ready Meal are There?
Ready meals encompass all types of pre-cooked and pre-prepared foodstuffs. The category includes soups and sauces, cooked meat, fish and vegetable solids, as well as dairy elements. Packs feature either individual dishes such as pies, pizza and pasta, or separate elements such as curry and rice, or roast dinners comprising meat, potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and gravy. Many are suitable for reheating in a microwave, while others require the use of an oven, grill or hob.
Long life ready meals are often sterilised and supplied at room temperature. They are typically packed in flexible pouches, and sometimes vacuum-packed. Canned ready meals have extended shelf lives as well, due to heat sterilisation in the tinning process. Frozen meals are also designed for a shelf-life of between two and six months. Chilled foods
will typically have a much shorter shelf life, but are often suitable for home freezing on, or shortly after, the day of purchase.
The range of ready meals is constantly evolving, with new types of food coming onto the market in ever-growing numbers. The fastest growing sector is in plant-based meals. While vegetarian and vegan diets are frequently driven by the desire to avoid meat, fish and dairy, they also go hand-in-hand with a drive towards increased environmental awareness, including a sustainable approach to packaging.
How Do Ready Meal Packaging Machines Work?
In short, ready meal packaging machines fill containers with products and seal the packs. Key considerations for businesses buying packaging machinery are speed, capacity and accuracy. Operating systems can be fully automatic, semi-automatic or, for small throughput businesses, manual.
The principal elements of a complete food packaging operation are listed here. For most commercial facilities, a single integrated production line is often the most efficient option, although each element is usually available as a standalone unit if preferred.
Containers
At the beginning of a packing line, containers are fed onto a conveyor. Containers can be pre-formed as trays, cartons or pots which are supplied in stacks and need to be denested before being placed individually into the packing line.
Denesting
Single and multiple lane adjustable magazine pick and place denesters are available as well as fixed and adjustable rotary wheel/scroll style compact footprint models for different tray types and speed requirements. Vertical denesters can be integrated into other line equipment and chain infeeds with varying capacities.
FFS machines
Containers can also be formed inline as part of a FFS (form fill seal) packing facility. The base material such as film, card or plastic is cut, folded, pressed or thermoformed to create containers ready for filling and sealing.
Filling
The filling of containers can be through single or multi-head machinery, and are designed for speed and accurate measurement. Checkweighers ensure that each pack contains the correct portion size.
Pumps
Pumps are used to push food products from a hopper or other feed vessel into the container. Rotary lobe pumps are in common use, but ready meal producers are now using low shear MasoSine SPS pump technology to provide enough suction to cope with high viscosity levels. The large pumping chambers within these pumps allows product integrity to be preserved and maintained even for very fragile product such as pre-cooked chicken or apple slices.
Depositors
Volumetric depositors fill containers with an accurately measured portion of food products, and are used for loose or stickier products such as cooked rice or pasta. The way depositors operate includes gravity feeding, auger screws and pneumatic pistons. Packs are usually placed on a vibrating surface to settle evenly.
Sealers
After filling, trays are sealed, usually with a barrier film lid. The filler container is overlaid with film, and the edges are heated to form a robust, hygienic seal. Heat sealers are designed to heat the packaging, not the food, and do not result in degradation of the product. Flow wrappers can also be used to seal the product in an impermeable, airtight bag.
MAP
MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) is a key element in ready meals, and is used to maximise product shelf life. Before sealing, air is removed and replaced with a protective gas, most commonly nitrogen because it is odourless and tasteless. The pack is then hermetically sealed with barrier film to prevent the gas escaping or air getting back into the pack.
Inspection equipment
Inspection equipment can feature at different stages of the packaging process to detect metals, glass shards, bone and plastics, as well as to identify flaws in seals and to verify package contents. The automated technologies in use include mechanical pressure testing, vision systems and X-rays.
Sleeves and cartons
Ready meal sleeves are most commonly made of various types of cartonboard. The board is wrapped around the sealed pack, and fastened with glue. Multiple options exist on the types of board used, finishes and customisation including die-cutting. An alternative to sleeving is boxing the packed in a closed carton.
Sleeves are essential for appealing to, and informing, consumers. Branding and promotional messaging is central to commercial success, and clear product detail is mandatory on ingredients, allergens, provenance, preparation, nutrition and storage. See the Food Standards Agency website for full details of information which must be provided. Internal systems will also apply batch numbers, stock codes and packing details for traceability and measurability.
Further issues for ready meal packaging machines are how easy they are to maintain and clean for food preparation. Controls, automation and ease of operation come into any assessment of which machinery to invest in.
Ready Meal Packaging Materials
The majority of ready meals are packaged in trays made of CPET (crystallised polyethylene terephthalate) and PP (polypropylene). Both of these plastics are excellent at protecting food, and have provided ready meal producers with adaptable and cost-effective packaging solutions. CPET in particular is widely used for ready meals because it can withstand high heat, and is suitable for ovens and microwaves.
Recyclable materials
CPET, PET and PP products are recyclable, but the distinct properties of CPET allow the recycled material to be used for food packaging, while recycled PP can only be recycled for use in non-food products. There is a further issue with these materials which is that in many cases they are not separated in the recycling journey and end up in land fill where they will last for hundreds of years, with consequent risk to the environment.
The lidding films used to seal trays are commonly made from PET, also known as polyester. All PET is recyclable, but rPET also includes up to 80% of recycled material.
Biodegradable and compostable packaging
Plastic products have varying degrees of recyclability. However, from a sustainability point of view, it is also important to recognise that they are all manufactured from fossil fuels. The packaging industry is very active in developing alternatives to plastics, and that includes ready meal packaging.
Advances are being made with materials made from materials based, like paper, on fibres. Developments have included boards lined with a thin plastic barrier which reduce the total amount of plastic used but present problems of recyclability because of the difficulty of separating the plastic from the board. However, a thin PET coating can mean that the packaging is classified as a mono material, and can be recycled alongside paper. However, not all paper-based packaging can be oven-heated or microwaved.
New fibre-based material which can be heated in the microwave or oven is available. The packaging is similar in look and feel to cardboard, and can be composted at home, as well as being recyclable. Some products are based on sustainable and renewable forest wood, others on paper pulp lined with cellulose, and there are further options based on fibres from such things as sugarcane. All such options offer a very eco-friendly alternative to plastics of any kind.
Packaging for Frozen Ready Meals
Frozen foods can be packaged in the same way as ready meals which are chilled or at ambient temperature. Frequent use is made of PP and CPET trays and PET films, all of which withstand freezing, and can be taken directly from freezer to oven or microwave. Some prepared foods such as stir fries and pasta dishes can be packed frozen in flexible bags and pouches.
Many ready meals are frozen during the packaging process, while others are packed from frozen components. Chilled meals can often be frozen at home, unless any of the components are unsuitable for doing so.
Frozen foods for home delivery have relied extensively on non-recyclable polystyrene packaging which has very effective thermal properties. More recently introduced alternatives include polypropylene which is fully recyclable as well as being waterproof.
See PPMA member companies who provide expert services on Ready Meal Packaging machines.
Ready Meal Packaging FAQs
How do I choose a ready meal packing machine?
To identify the best machine for your requirements, you need a clear plan for your business in terms of:
-
type of ready meals you will pack
-
components involved in the meal
-
flexibility for different types of meal
-
type of packaging you want to use
-
number of meals you need to pack to meet your business goals
-
location and space need for the equipment
-
maintenance requirements including downtime
-
how you will finance the machinery (outright purchase, loan or lease)
-
payback period for your investment
Once you have decided on the essential specification, it is time to research suppliers, and to start talking to them. Follow up with a request for quotes for the most promising solutions, and prepare for making a final decision.
What ready meal packaging machine is best?
The best machinery is whatever allows you to achieve your business goals efficiently and profitably. There is always a danger of over-specifying equipment and paying for performance and features you don’t use. Equally, under-specifying machinery will leave you without the means of fulfilling your ambitions.
Time spent on robust business planning is time well spent, as is time spent researching the equipment options. PPMA can help in two important ways. To search for equipment suppliers, you can use our Machinery Finder pages, which includes profiles of suppliers and equipment and contact details. You can also meet PPMA members and peers involved in food packaging at the annual PPMA Show, which is free to attend.
What are ready meal containers made from?
The most common form of ready meal container is made from CPET (crystallised polyethylene terephthalate) which is harder than standard PET, and can withstand high temperatures in ovens and microwaves, as well as freezer temperatures. CPET comes in many colours and as a clear material. It can be formed in almost any shape and embossed, and also has excellent sealing properties for lidding and flow packing.
CPET and PP (polypropylene), the other frequently used material, are recyclable. However, there is concern that they often are put in landfill. Furthermore, they are oil based and so leave a significant carbon footprint.
Greener alternatives are increasingly being used by supermarkets and smaller ready meal businesses based either on minimising the plastic content of their packaging or using fibre-based materials from plants, paper and pulp. One fast-growing UK food brand reforms into lightweight wooden trays, which, like other fibre-based packaging is compostable at home.
How are ready meals preserved?
Preservation techniques for ready meals include the use of MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) which involves voiding packs of air and filling them with tasteless, odourless gas (most commonly nitrogen) which prevents oxidation and hinders degradation. MAP will extend the shelf life of ready meals from up to 5 days in normal air to up to 21 days, so it is an essential part of ready meal packaging.
Long life ready meals can be preserved through the use of microwave assisted thermal sterilisation. Food surfaces are heated by circulating hot water, and cavities and the inside of the food is heated by microwaves. This technology allows for prepared foods in pouches to last for 12 months or more. Canned meals with similarly long shelf lives are sterilised through various forms of heating which destroy bacteria before the cans are sealed.
Freezing is also an essential means of preserving ready meals. A frozen ready meal will last in good condition for 2 to 6 months in a home freezer. Thereafter there will not be a problem with bacteria, but the food will deteriorate in texture and taste.