Patent ID: 8545950

Claim:
A method for commercializing a fresh meat product comprising a fresh beef, fresh pork, or fresh poultry product having a water content of at least 5 percent by weight and a sodium chloride content of less than 1 percent by weight comprising: (a) butchering a slaughtered animal into a plurality of retail cuts; (b) packaging the retail cuts into a plurality of articles wherein each article comprises a polymeric oxygen barrier film having a transparent portion in contact with at least a portion of the fresh meat product and having a myoglobin blooming agent selected from nitric oxide donating compounds, wherein the nitric oxide donating compounds comprise Fremy's salt, nitrate salts having the formula MNO 3 , nitrite salts having the formula MNO 2 or combinations thereof, wherein the counter ion M+ is selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, protonated primary, secondary or tertiary amines, quatemary amines and ammonium; (c) transporting the packaged articles to a retail outlet, wherein the packaged article is adapted for retail display and sale without removing the polymeric film and wherein the fresh meat product has a color with an “a*” value of at least about 15 for the fresh beef product or of at least about 6 for the fresh pork or fresh poultry product and the color is maintained for at least five days after display.