Patent ID: 7762400

Claim:
A packaging tray comprising: an outer tray, having: a base, itself having a recessed area of the base, a central, at least partially recessed region of the base and a set of ribs upstanding from the base and extending radially from the central region, the ribs having tops formed with channels, a step above the recessed area of the base at least substantially around the recessed area and continuous with the ribs where the ribs and the step meet and side walls, surrounding and upstanding from the base, the base and the walls defining a packaging space and a false bottom of the tray, the false bottom being: supported above the base by the ribs, thereby defining a discrete exudate-collection compartment immediately above the base and reducing the packaging space by the size of the discrete compartment, provided with an array of perforations in a discrete minor central region of the false bottom, to allow exudate to pass through into the exudate-collection compartment, sealed to the tops of the ribs alongside the channels, thereby providing means, in addition to and separate from the perforations, for gas transfer between the exudate-collection compartment and the packaging space at the side walls, and peripherally connected to the side walls and sealed to the step, thereby providing in conjunction with the sealing of the false bottom to the ribs means for inhibiting flow of exudate back into the packaging space, the step extending partially around the foot of the side walls and partially set in from the side walls, being spaced therefrom by at least one channel, which extends the exudate-collection compartment.