## 1 Introduction  
According to the latest report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization [1], global meat production in 2023 was estimated at 354 million tonnes. This value is expected to reach 377 Mt by 2031 thanks to the improvements in animal breeding, management, and technologies in low- and middle-income countries, with growth in the production of beef (8%), poultry (16%), sheep (16%), and pork (17%) meat. Unfortunately, it is also estimated that 23% of meat products are lost or wasted each year, mainly at the consumption (64%), processing and production (20%), and distribution (12%) levels [2]. The causes of such spoilage are attributable to several abiotic and biotic factors occurring either independently or in combination. For instance, meat preservation is compromised by abiotic factors like the oxidation of lipids, pigments, proteins, and vitamins, which can lead to sensory degradation (in termsof colour, texture, smell, and flavour), nutritional losses, and the potential formation of toxic substances. The initiation of oxidative processes is triggered by improper temperatures, light, oxygen, and metals as catalysts [3]. Therefore, maintaining optimal storage conditions and ensuring that the cold chain is preserved during the production, packaging, transportation, distribution, and home storage of meat products is crucial [4]. Among the biotic causes of spoilage, the primary and most relevant is the microbial growth of specific microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and yeasts [5]. Furthermore, gravid blowfly females (Diptera: Calliphoridae) can target raw, cured, dried, cooked, and processed meat and fish for oviposition [6]. This inconvenience can happen when good manufacturing practices are not followed, meaning when the hygienic conditions of personnel, machinery, and surfaces are poor, mesh screens and traps are absent, wastes are not properly managed, and refrigeration is inadequate [7]. In nature, blowflies feed and breed on carcasses and decomposing organic matter [8], as well as on living animals and humans, causing myriasis [9]. This behaviour exposes the blowflies to several pathogenic bacteria, costodes, and protozoa [10; 11], which can subsequently be passively spread. As these \"filt flies\" are synanthropic insects that live in complete (eusynanthropy) or partial (hemisy-nanthropy) association with human settlements [12], they can also contaminate food and surfaces used for its preparation and consumption with a wide range of microorganisms, contributing to the spread of foodborne diseases. The food industry has long sought to reduce meat loss and waste using polyvinylidene chloride (PVC) wrapping films, which are, however, highly polluting starting from their production to their hard disposal [13]. Nowadays, consumers more and more frequently request healthy, safe, and eco-friendly alternatives. Among the natural compounds already successfully employed to enhance meat preservation are chitosan (CH) and essential oils (EOs). Chitosan is an aminopolysaccharide obtained through deacetylation from chitin and is valued for its innate film-forming, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties [14]. Essential oils are a group of heterogeneous mixtures of organic, highly volatile molecules derived from thousands of aromatic plants, including culinary herbs and spices [15], thus possessing flavouring properties [16]. Their numerous chemical constituents can act individually or synergistically as antioxidants, antiradicals, and antimicrobials, making them useful in food processing [17]. Both CH and many EOs are listed as Generally Recognised As Safe substances for consumption in the Code of Federal Regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration. Liquid, film, and nanoparticle formulations of CH and EOs have been proposed as antioxidants [14], antimicrobials [18], and more recently, to manage insect pests [19]. Based on the evidence reported in a previous study by [PERSON] et al.