Non-hermetically sealed food package and method

Abstract

The present invention includes a method for packaging a flowable food product, in particular cheese. The present invention forms a cheese package having a non-hermetic seal. A continuous moving web made of a heat sealable polymeric material has a non-heat sealable strip secured thereto and oriented in the machine direction. The web is moved in the machine direction while one longitudinal edge portion is placed over the other longitudinal edge portion in an overlapping relationship to form a food tube such that the non-heat sealable strip is disposed between the edge portions. The tube is heat sealed proximate the first longitudinal edge portion and filled with the flowable cheese product. The tube filled with cheese is then flattened. The flattened tube is heat sealed and cut at selected intervals in a transverse direction to form discrete individually packaged food slices. Each discrete individual food slice package has an opening along the non-heat sealable strip thereby providing a non-hermetic seal to the food package.

1 . A method of producing a non-hermetic packaged food product, the method comprising: 
 providing a continuous moving web of a heat sealable polymeric material having a strip secured thereto in a machine direction and spaced a selected distance from one edge of the web, the strip being made of a material that will not heat seal on one side thereof to the web;    placing a first longitudinal edge portion of the web over a second longitudinal edge portion in an overlapping relationship to form a food tube and an overlapping region, the non-heat sealable strip being disposed in the overlapping region between the first edge portion and the second edge portion;    heat sealing proximate the first longitudinal edge portion;    filling the tube with a flowable food product;    flattening the tube filled with the food product; and    heat sealing and cutting the tube in a transverse direction to form discrete individual food slices that have an air opening along the non-heat sealable strip.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the non-heat sealable strip is secured to the web along the first edge portion.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the non-heat sealable strip is secured to the web along the second edge portion.  
     
     
         4 . A non-hermetically sealed cheese package comprising: 
 a plastic film having a cheese containing chamber defined by opposing film walls integrally joined at one edge and having an overlapping area defined by a flap formed by one wall overlapping another wall and heat sealed along the flap and heat sealed along transversely disposed edges; and    a non-heat sealable strip extending between and through the transversely disposed end portions such that the non-heat sealable strip forms an air passage through the heat seal of the transversely disposed edge portions.