An increasing number of companies that produce cooked meat products for sale in shops and supermarkets are using resealable packaging. But does this really keep the product fresher? The VRT’s consumer team investigates.
No, cooked meat does not stay fresh for longer in resealable packaging once it has been opened
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Anneleen Vandewynckel of the federation of cooked meat producers Fenavian told the VRT that the answer is “no”. As soon as the contents of any packaging resealable or not are exposed to air, the process that eventually leads to the product going bad begins.
Resealing the packaging does not stop this process. This is a reason why not all companies that produce cooked meat products have switched to resealable package.
The VRT journalist Kristel Verbeke discussed what is a source of irritation for many of us in the podcast ‘Mens erger je niet”: how do your repack ham, paté, salami and other cocked meats once you have opened their packaging?
"It's ridiculous that I then have to put cling film over the packaging again to keep it fresh, isn't it?", Kristel said.
Keeping the product fresh is a major preoccupation, not least because most of us want to avoid waste wherever we can. Many believe that you can keep charcuterie fresh for longer if its packaging is resealable. However, Anneleen Vandewynckel says that this is a misconception. "Cooked meat is packed in such a way that as little oxygen as possible is present in the packaging. The spoilage process starts as soon as the cooked meat comes into contact with oxygen".
Three tips to keep cooked meat fresh
Ms Vandewynckel went on to give three tips to prolong the shelf life of cooked meats "There are 3 things you should keep in mind to prolong the shelf life for as long as possible. The important thing is that you transport the cooked meat at a maximum of 7°C. So, when you get home from the shop, put it into the fridge as soon as possible."
The fridge setting also play a big role. "Set your fridge to a temperature below 4 degrees. That's the most important tip I can give"
In addition to this Anneleen Vandewynckel urges us to use our common sense: "If you handle your cooked meat with dirty hands, it will become contaminated and will not remain safe to eat for as long".
In the podcast Kristel Verbeke asks why resealable package is not standard for cooked meat. Anneleen Vandewynckel says that there are two reasons why this is not the case. First of all it has no influence whatsoever on how long a product will remain fresh and secondly resealable packaging costs more.
"Resealable packaging is harder to make and therefore more expensive. This is passed on to the consumer. Not every consumer will want to pay more for it."