Patent ID: 6942821

Claim:
A method comprising: a) subjecting a thermoformed tray with an oxygen scavenger component to actinic radiation at a dosage sufficient to trigger the oxygen scavenger component; and then b) storing the triggered thermoformed tray with an oxygen scavenger component in a container, the container configured such that the thermoformed tray with an oxygen scavenger component exhibits no substantial oxygen scavenging activity while inside the container; wherein the oxygen scavenger component comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: i) a reduced form of a quinone, a photoreducible dye, or a carbonyl compound which has absorbence in the UV spectrum, ii) a polymer having a polymeric backbone, cyclic olefinic pendent group, and linking group linking the olefinic pendent group to the polymeric backbone, iii) a copolymer of ethylene and a strained, cyclic alkylene, and iv) ethylene/vinyl aralkyl copolymer; and wherein the actinic radiation comprises a form of irradiation selected from visible light, ultraviolet light, and ionizing radiation in the form of X-ray, gamma ray, corona discharge, or electron beam irradiation.