Beef jerky is one of the best selling meat products. Since it spends a lot of time on supermarket shelves, it must be packaged in such a way that it retains its freshness from the time of its production to the time it reaches the consumer’s plate. Also, it must not develop any undesirable odors or fungus. Keeping this mind, meat packaging must be durable, strong, and germ resistant.

To accomplish these objectives, beef jerky is packaged in different food pouches called barrier bags. These bags are a type of standup bags, but they are made with a number of food grade films that provide protection to the contents of the package. These films ensure that the product stays fresh and out of contact with any moisture. Barrier packaging can be done in three ways.

The first method that a few food pouch manufacturers of jerky follow is to suck out the oxygen and air from the package, to increase the life of the meat. However, this method causes the packing to crumple and develop folds, making it stick to the jerky. The second method is to use oxygen absorbers in the package. As a third alternative, some companies blast nitrogen into their jerky packets which drives out the oxygen present in them.