Sustainability and “food mileage” of ground beef packaging in the beef industry from post-harvest to retail display

The consumption of beef continues to grow globally, highlighting the need for sustainable practices throughout the beef industry including packaging from harvest to retail. Traditional petroleum packaging materials have been identified as problematic, contributing to nuisance litter and landfill accumulation. Identifying more sustainable alternative materials for beef packaging is essential. This study investigated alternative film materials derived from recycled, biodegradable, bio-based, and blends thereof to assess sustainability, environmental impacts, performance, and cost for beef packaging. Material selection for this study was based on meta-analysis of previous data. Sustainability was evaluated through environmental indicators using life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques from cradle-to-gate in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines 14,040/44. Post consumer recycled-low density polyethylene (PCR-LDPE), polylactic acid (PLA) and its blends with polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) accounted for lower global warming potential and fossil fuel depletion compared to traditional materials based on LCA models. In addition to sustainability, material performance was evaluated via meat bloom and color retention in a point-of-purchase refrigerated display case. Results determined PLA-PBAT blends have improved performance with a longer period of color retention in retail display cases with PCR-LDPE having similar results to PVC. The study defined a framework and path forward for evaluation of sustainability in other beef products and packaging systems. Results of this study provide industry options to lower environmental impact and improve shelf-life while controlling the cost of sustainable alternatives.