Packaging chicken in a rigid plastic tray has been the industry standard for decades, but that standard is shifting fast. Retailers and food processors across the market are increasingly choosing flexible bags as the smarter alternative. The reason is straightforward: the benefits are concrete and measurable.
Switching from tray to bag reduces packaging material by up to 60% per unit. Less plastic means lower material costs, reduced transport weight, and a smaller environmental footprint, from the distribution center all the way to the consumer's refrigerator and trash can.
A clear trend is emerging in Europe: more and more supermarkets are offering meat and poultry products packaged with vertical packaging solutions. These innovations not only improve storage and transport efficiency but also reduce environmental impact. Vertical packaging is gaining ground because it uses less material and allows for more efficient stacking, streamlining storage and transport.
Traditional trays use excessive plastic, take up more space, and increase transport costs. Switching to the JASA NXXT vertical packaging machine is a more sustainable choice: it reduces material use and waste while optimizing storage space. This keeps products attractive to consumers and allows supermarkets to optimize their packaging processes.
Across Europe and North America, supermarkets and food retailers are moving their poultry lines, chicken breast, strips, cubes, tenders, and stir-fry cuts over to bag packaging. The drivers are clear.
Regulatory pressure is increasing on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is pushing manufacturers to deliver measurable reductions in packaging material, and rigid trays are increasingly failing to meet those standards. Beyond compliance, bags are simply more compact than trays, reducing the number of shipments needed, cutting cold storage requirements, and improving warehouse capacity. Consumers are also demanding more sustainable packaging, and a bag signals that commitment right on the shelf. And practically speaking, it's easier to use: cut open the bag and slide the chicken straight into the pan, no fumbling with a tray.
Switching from tray to bag involves more than just changing the package format. The weighing and packaging process requires accurate automation; chicken breast, cubes, or strips need to be portioned to exact weight specifications and packaged at high volumes, hygienically, consistently, and fast.
That's exactly where JASA comes in. The JASA NXXT vertical form-fill-seal machine works together with a weigher as a fully integrated line. The weigher automatically distributes product to gram-level accuracy, and the NXXT immediately seals it into a bag at high speed, no quality loss, no manual handling required. The machine's open, transparent design makes cleaning straightforward, which when working with fresh meat and poultry, isn't a nice-to-have, it's a non-negotiable.
What further sets the line apart is its modular build. Processors don't need to commit to maximum capacity from day one; the JASA NXXT is designed to scale with production. Start with one chicken breast format today and easily expand to additional weight classes or product varieties tomorrow.
The switch from tray to bag isn't a cost, it's an investment that pays for itself. Less packaging material means lower procurement costs. Smaller packages mean more product per pallet and lower freight costs. Fewer manual steps in the line mean lower labor costs per unit. For meat and poultry processors operating at scale, these savings add up to significant figures year over year.
JASA supports meat and poultry processors through the complete transition from tray to bag, from advising on the right film and bag format to installing and commissioning the full packaging line. Get in touch and find out what the switch means for your operation.
Want to learn more about the complete process from handling to finished package?
Download JASA's free e-book on meat and poultry packaging, requested over 500 times. Packaging formats, material choices, line configurations: everything in one place.
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