Fresh meat retail cases in 104 supermarkets
across 5 regions of the United States were audited
for the use of packaging types and materials, branding,
and cooking/nutritional information. Frequency means
were separated for species of beef, ground beef, pork,
chicken, turkey, lamb, and veal. Traditional polyvinyl
chloride overwrap was used on 47.0% of packages in the
fresh meat case nationwide and was the most frequent
packaging type for beef, ground beef, pork, lamb, and
veal. The use of modified atmosphere packaging was
greatest (P < 0.001) in ground beef (33.2%) and turkey (45.1%) products. The 3 most common tray colors in the fresh meat retail case on a national level were white (39.6%), yellow (22.4%), and black (11.5%). Foam trays were used in 72.6% of all packages in the retail meat case. In 2004, 60.2% of all packages were caseready. Chicken (94.8%) and turkey (95.6%) products utilized case-ready packaging systems more (P < 0.001) than any other species. On a national level, 50.1% of all products carried a national brand, 12.2% carried a store brand, and the remaining 37.7% of products in the fresh meat case in 2004 were not branded. Chicken was most (P < 0.001) likely to carry a natural brand label. Labels with cooking instructions were found most (P < 0.001) on pork (37.3%) and turkey products (48.1%). Chicken (20.4%) and turkey products (20.7%) were most (P < 0.001) likely to have the cooking instructions printed on the packaging material compared with all other species. Labels with nutritional information were most (P < 0.001) likely to be found on turkey products (55.7%) in the fresh meat case compared with any other species. On the national level, 6.1% of all packages reported in the fresh meat case in 2004 were value-added.