The invention relates to a conveyor device (10) for conveying food products on a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks and for formatting the food products in a specific product format, especially for conveying and formatting stacks or interleaved units made of a plurality of slices of cheese or meat products. It is proposed that the conveyor device (10) fills a product gap on one of the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side with a food product so that on the output side all parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The invention also includes a corresponding method.

Package which comprises a wrapper (2) and a predetermined quantity of a cured food product, the wrapper (2) comprising two flexible laminates (2a, 2b) of plastic placed on opposing sides of the cured food product next to each other and joined together at marginal regions (5) around the cured food product arranged forming an elongated strip with an average thickness (G) and an average width (A), being said average thickness (G) at least 20% of said average width (A); and the wrapper (2) includes an easy-opening device (4) in an adjacent position to an end to provide, when tearing it, an open end (6) through which the portions of the cured food product are gradually extracted by a pressure exerted manually over a region of the wrapper (2) adjacent to an end opposite said open end (6).

A skin packaging machine in which a first continuous film and a second continuous and thermoplastic film above the first film are supplied in a forward direction of the machine. The machine includes a sealing station configured for receiving both films, and it comprises an upper tool pressing on the films to seal them to one another, with a closed holding contour delimiting the area of said films being sealed. The sealing station further comprises a sealing gasket attached to the holding contour, the sealing gasket having, on each side with respect to the forward direction, an operation zone with a notched configuration which is facing the space delimited by said sealing gasket.

The present technology is generally directed to methods and systems for automated food packaging. The method and system includes singulating a plurality of elongate food products into a plurality of individual product pieces, conveying the plurality of individual product pieces along a moving surface, depositing a portion of the individual product pieces into a bucket, where the products are deposited such that a length of greater than about 90% of the individual product pieces are generally aligned parallel with the first side or second side of the bucket. Methods and systems include measuring a height between a top surface of the deposited portion of produce pieces and a top side of the moving surface, vertically lowering the bucket if the measured height is less than a threshold amount, and depositing a second portion of individual product pieces into the vertically lowered bucket.

A perishable food product packaging system in which a number of individual packages are initially unsealed and placed into the interior of a master package. The atmosphere within the interior of the master package is then modified, which modifies the atmosphere within the individual packages. The master package is then shipped to a retail location where the master package is opened, at which time the interior of the master package and the individual packages are exposed to conventional atmosphere. The individual packages are then sealed and prepared for retail sale, which typically will include weighing, pricing and labeling each individual package. The individual packages are then displayed in a grab-and-go refrigerated case, where a consumer can select one or more of the individual packages without having to be waited on by store personnel.

The invention relates to a food processing line, in particular having at least one slicing machine, a sorting and conveying path and/or a packaging machine, said food processing line comprising a sensor apparatus for determining irregularities in the operating procedure and a point in time of the determined irregularity, at least one camera in order, during operation, to continuously record images of at least one region of the food processing line in which a cause of an irregularity can be present, and a central data processing device that, during operation, receives data from the sensor apparatus and from the at least one camera and that is configured and set up to select the images that are relevant for determining a cause of the irregularities from the images recorded by the camera. The invention furthermore relates to a corresponding method of operating a food processing line.

The present invention relates to Packaging machine (1) having a deep-drawing-(2), filling-(7) and/or sealing station (19) to produce a package made from a lower-(8) and an upper (14) film web, wherein, in the filling station (7), a packaging item (16) is placed on the lower film web (8) on an L-board (5) comprising a base (5) and a flap (5) foldable connected to the base and folding means (10) to pivot the flap (5) from an initial flat to a folded position and hold-down means (17) which maintains the flap (5) in the folded position.

Disclosed is a packaging sheet for packaging of cheese, in particular white moulded soft cheese. The packaging sheet comprises: an inner surface and an outer surface of the packaging sheet, said inner surface being configured for facing the cheese in a packaged use position of the packaging sheet; a paper layer with a first surface and a second surface; a coloured layer provided on a first surface of the paper layer, an outer surface of the coloured layer establishing said outer surface of the packaging sheet; and a polymer layer with a water vapour transmission rate of at least 300 g/m2/24 hours at 38 C. and 90% atmospheric humidity. The polymer layer being coated on the second surface of the paper layer with a first surface of the polymer layer facing the paper layer and a second surface of the polymer layer establishing said inner surface of the packaging sheet.

An apparatus is provided for filling and/or portioning food mass on a carrier. The apparatus includes a machine frame, a carrier movably arranged on the frame, for receiving dispensed food mass, and a drive means for moving the carrier. In the apparatus, a mechanical separator is provided for mechanically separating the carrier and the drive means, the carrier is arranged above the separator, the drive means is arranged at least partly below the separator, and the carrier and the drive means are coupled with the aid of magnetic and/or electromagnetic means in such a way that the carrier can be moved by the drive means using magnetic or electromagnetic force.

Processes, methods, systems, containers, and apparatus for making and processing pasta filata cheese in dome containers that are packaged in plastic. The novel invention uses a rigid see through plastic dome to safely store the cheese within and can be heat sealed in a bag with a plastic film across the top of the bag and open end of the dome. Another embodiment uses only a plastic film to seal off the open end of the dome without using a bag. The process eliminates the need for a water tank to hold the cheese balls before packaging, where water has allowed for cross contamination of all the balls if one ball is contaminated with bacteria and germs. The plastic dome allows for an aesthetically appearing cheese package that maintains a semi-spherical ball shape with the dents and deformations that occur with the prior art plastic bag packaged cheeses.