There’s increasing consumer demand for safe, high-quality, and attractively packaged meat products.
This has been confirmed by a McKinsey report, with shelf-life and sustainability among the other influencing factors.
The continued growth of the livestock market has also been forecast, up from a reported value of USD 1.39 trillion in 2025 to an expected USD 1.60 trillion by 2034.
Key drivers include the rising population, urbanisation, and higher levels of disposable income, increasing the demand for protein-rich, convenient food items.
Such consumer trends are expected to result in the prioritisation of portion control and safety technology adoption.
Read on as we present Ishida’s advanced automation experience and packaging machines as solutions for the fulfilment of these industry demands.
Meat Packing Challenges
Meat processing and packaging used to involve a highly intensive investment of manual labour.
There were significant risks of portion size inconsistencies and the failure to detect contaminants.
The maintenance of packaging quality also posed a challenge, with issues leading to consumer complaints and product recalls.
Various items of legislation have also been introduced, with a focus on ensuring consistently high levels of animal health, welfare, and food safety.
Ishida has led the way in the development of automated solutions for compliance, enabling the optimisation of previously manual operations and the delivery of higher-quality products to consumers.
Effective Portion Control through Precision Weighing
One of the main challenges has been in ensuring more accurate meat product portioning, with the reduction of giveaway.
Working in collaboration with fresh meat producers, Ishida has met this challenge by developing sector-specific weighing solutions, including fresh-food and screwfeed weighers. These systems incorporate contact materials specifically designed to meet the handling requirements of fresh meat products.
Designed for the handling of sticky fresh meat products, this specialised weigher allows for much improved efficiency, with no sacrifice of quality or food waste.
Capable of up to 80 weighments per minute, the screwfeed weigher is fitted with specialist contact parts and materials for the reduction of sticking and enhanced product flow.
Securing Freshness & Appeal with the QX-800 Tray Sealer
Further along the production line, Ishida has introduced the QX-800 tray sealer for improved efficiency and consistency across seal-only, MAP and skinpack applications.
Also designed to tackle the challenges of rising costs, performance, and improved sustainability, the QX-800 is ideally suited to the packaging of meat-based products.
With its patented tray transfer system, the advanced tray sealer increases product stability, reduces waste, and boosts efficiency.
It allows for improved hygiene, with the assurance of airtight seals for optimum shelf life.
Advanced Inspection with the IX-PD X-ray System
Continuing its focus on improved quality control, Ishida has introduced the Photon Counting IX-PD X-ray system for the reliable detection of physical contaminants like bone, metal, and glass.
Integrated with new sensor and imaging technology, the IX-PD can distinguish food from lower-density foreign bodies with much greater accuracy than can be achieved through manual inspection or with traditional X-ray systems.
Offering the highest levels of sensitivity, it supports improved regulatory compliance and the prevention of product recalls.
Manufacturers benefit from the protection of brand integrity, with only safe products reaching consumers.
Integrated Solutions for Safety & Efficiency
From precise portioning to reliable tray sealing and advanced photon-counting X-ray inspection, there’s great value to be realised in the integration of Ishida’s automated equipment.
Making meat packing simple, these technologies can be relied on for improvements in speed, accuracy, and product quality.
Designed for easy installation, Ishida systems also reduce the need for manual handling, increasing uptime and improving traceability.
The benefits have been realised by meat product manufacturers such as Niklas of Greece.
The cold-cut meats specialist opted to install Ishida’s new IX-PD-36A2 for the X-ray inspection of fresh chicken for the foodservice and retail sectors.
It has enabled the more reliable detection of quality issues, with a reduction in consumer complaints.
Quality has also been enhanced through the integration of an Ishida fresh food weigher at SBV’s factory in Ille-et-Vilaine.
Filling trays with 150g of smoked and unsmoked sticky lardons with an accuracy of within 3g of the target weight, the newly installed weigher has also enabled the improvement of worker conditions.
“This has helped us save around four tonnes of product per year, and thanks to these savings, the Ishida weigher will have paid for itself in less than three years,” SBV Quality Director Vincent Mesage commented.
“What’s more, the machine is highly reliable and has allowed us to become more efficient. With two operators instead of three, we can free up a worker for another task.”
Summing up, Ishida’s automated equipment delivers meat production line benefits including:
Reduced product giveaway and more consistent servings
Enhanced food safety and contaminant detection
Improved packaging quality and extended shelf life
Regulatory compliance and audit readiness
Increased operational efficiency and reduced waste.
Flexible solutions for ever-changing production demands.
Contact Ishida
Given the potential for meeting such varied and complex production needs, there’s every reason to explore Ishida’s range of automated packaging machines.
Get in touch to find out how you can enhance meat packing safety and efficiency with advanced technologies such as the QX-800 and IX-PD X-ray.
