Flesh and bones

Selling a joint of meat is all about presentation. Hermetic seals prevent oxidation of the meat's surface, keeping it red and fresh-looking. Supermarkets know this, so they have created sealed clear plastic packages. To avoid exposing consumers to unsightly meat juices, absorbent white or black pads are placed beneath the meat to soak up any residue. We recently took a look at the meat shelves of a couple of supermarkets.

Here's a classically-presented joint of beef from Somerfield, complete with pastoral scene on the label. Why's there so much empty space in the pack? Perhaps it's alluding to all the space that the cows had to roam in whilst alive.

It seems that British pigs have space to roam, too. Look at these two leg steaks from the Co-op. Could they have squeezed into a smaller package? We think so!

Marks and Spencer have come up with another classic. If you're going to spend nine pounds on two steaks, you want your money's worth in packaging, and there's no skimping here. Each steak sits in it's individual compartment of a plastic insert, all within a larger plastic tray. Note that there are thick round absorbent pads below each steak, as well as another rectangular pad lining the larger tray. No juices are going to spoil the appearance of these two fillets!

What can we do with all this packaging once the meat's been cooked? Our local council will only recycle plastic in bottle form, and they certainly don't want meat-covered plastic trays. Yes, cardboard can be recycled, but who's going to recycle a pad of coated cardboard soaked in meat juice? We're quite sure that all of this packaging is destined for landfill.

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