When purchasing for packaged meats, have you ever ever considered placing the meat right into a plastic produce bag? Whereas doing so helps forestall juices from leaking onto different groceries, utilizing a further plastic bag could have a unfavorable environmental influence, proper? Learn on to search out out extra from two food-safety specialists. Plus, study sustainable packaging.
Why do you have to bag your packaged meat?
Whether or not you purchase contemporary meat from the butcher’s counter, the place they wrap it in food-grade kraft paper, otherwise you buy packaged uncooked meat in food-grade plastic labeled with a protected meals dealing with sticker (informing you tips on how to retailer, put together and deal with uncooked meat and poultry merchandise at residence), putting the wrapped meat in plastic produce baggage provides an additional layer of safety. “Utilizing plastic baggage to bag prepackaged uncooked meats … on the grocery retailer might help to keep away from cross-contamination,” says Mindy Costello, a registered sanitarian at NSF (previously the Nationwide Sanitation Basis). “Blood or juices could drip from the bundle to different objects in your basket or cart.”
In line with Costello, bagging packaged uncooked meat also can assist maintain it at a cooler temperature, merely including an additional layer of insulation, which is important when transporting groceries from retailer to residence.
The right way to safely deal with meat, from retailer to residence
If meat is in your grocery record, Costello suggests buying on your nonperishables first, corresponding to canned and dry items, then produce, and ending with uncooked meats, poultry, seafood and dairy merchandise. She provides, “Purchase your meat final to maintain it chilly for so long as doable. Look to see that the meat bundle is cool to the contact and has no punctures.”
The way you place your objects within the grocery cart additionally issues. “Attempt to maintain meat merchandise away from different objects in your basket or cart whereas buying and ready on the checkout line,” says Costello. In case your cart is full, bagging your packaged meats is very beneficial to keep away from doable cross-contamination of uncooked juices dripping from the bundle to different objects.
When you will not be residence for multiple hour, Costello advises asking the shop for ice or a chilly pack to maintain your meat chilly. You may as well carry your individual ice pack and/or insulated bag or small tender cooler. When you’re residence, maintain the meat separate from different objects in your fridge, ideally storing it on the underside shelf. “Holding it within the plastic bag or closed container also can assist keep away from cross-contamination at residence,” says Costello.
Bio-based packaging for a sustainable future
Utilizing plastic baggage to carry your meat is a superb safeguard from a food-safety perspective, but it surely raises environmental issues. In line with the Environmental Safety Company, 4.2 million tons of plastic baggage, sacks and wraps have been produced in 2018, with solely 0.42 million tons, or 10% p.c, recycled. Greater than 70% of unrecycled plastics went straight to landfills.
Bio-based packaging could also be one approach to scale back plastic waste. “Bio-based packaging is constructed from renewable uncooked supplies which have a direct or oblique pure origin,” says Carol Zweep, consulting and technical providers supervisor at NSF. Bio-based packaging can embrace varied sorts of supplies. Paper and cardboard are bio-based supplies, as they’re made primarily from wooden. There are bio-based plastics too, corresponding to polylactic acid (PLA), which is used to make meals packaging, compost baggage and disposable tableware. One other sort of bio-based plastic, bio-based polyethylene, is an ingredient in bottles and baggage. PLA and bio-based polyethylene are derived from plant-based and renewable supplies like corn, sugar cane and sugar beets.
Whereas bio-based packaging has a number of environmental advantages, not all bio-based supplies are compostable or biodegradable. Some bio-based polyethylene packaging could solely be partially constructed from renewable plant-based sources. Nevertheless, the primary problem within the meat business is arising with packaging options to match the sturdiness of typical plastic packaging, in accordance with Zweep.
Figuring out a cloth’s end-of-life vacation spot could assist decide if its use will assist scale back packaging waste. Zweep provides, “If bio-based supplies are appropriately collected and both recycled or composted, they might help to cut back packaging waste and stop such waste from ending up in landfills.”
Crown Poly, a “eco-friendly bagging options” firm, says their baggage are compostable, which is one other welcome resolution to decreasing plastic waste. It’s possible you’ll acknowledge their baggage from Dealer Joe’s produce aisles and checkout strains.
Backside line
Searching for meat requires a recreation plan—selecting up your meat final in your manner out of the grocery retailer and putting it away out of your different grocery objects doubtless reduces the danger of cross-contamination. Bagging your packaged meat in produce baggage provides one other layer of safety, however utilizing plastic baggage mindfully is vital to minimizing their probably detrimental environmental impacts.
