Vacuum packed pet food

Abstract

A pet food packages of pet food package is chosen for visual appeal. The package includes a tray and a film that retains loose components of the pet food in a specified and consistent arrangement by vacuum conditions.

1 . A method for presenting a shelf stable pet food comprising the steps of:
 a) providing a receptacle member having a recess formed therein;   b) placing a first component of the pet food into the recess in a specified and consistent first arrangement;   c) applying a retaining film over the recess, the first arrangement is chosen for visual appeal of the pet food and at least a portion of the retaining film is transparent to enable viewing of the pet food;   d) applying a relative vacuum to the recess to form the retaining film over the pet food for constraining movement of the pet food relative to the receptacle member such that the first arrangement is retained; and   e) making the pet food shelf-stable.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein a second component of the pet food is placed into the recess in a specified and consistent second arrangement chosen for visual appeal of the pet food. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first component comprises at least one of a meat, a poultry, a fish, meat analogs, fish analogs, poultry analogs, vegetables, and grains. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the second component comprises at least one of a meat, a poultry, a fish, meat analogs, fish analogs, poultry analogs, vegetables, and grains, and the second component is arranged relative to the first component for visual appeal. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the pet food has a protein content of at least one percent. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the pet food has no added water, broth, or gravy. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2  wherein at least one of the first component and the second component have a moisture content of at least 60%. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the pet food as a whole has at least 60 percent moisture. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the pet food is nutritionally complete. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the pet food is not nutritionally complete. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the making step (e) comprises heating the food components. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the heating step comprises heating to retort temperatures with or without added pressure and aseptic conditions. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the making step (e) includes one or more of placing the first component and the second component of the pet food under aseptic conditions; irradiating the pet food; acidifying the pet food or providing the pet food with a low pH; or adding preservatives to the pet food. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the receptacle member is a tray. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the tray is flexible before the applying step (d). 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 2  wherein placing the first component of pet food occurs simultaneously with placing the second component of pet food. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the receptacle member and the retaining film are covered by a cover film. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the receptacle member and the retaining film are covered by a lid. 
     
     
         19 . A plurality of pet food packages, each package comprising:
 a container having a recess formed therein and a retaining film; and   a shelf stable pet food including multiple pieces that are located in the recess in a specified and consistent arrangement that enhances the visual presentation of the pet food;   the retaining film having at least a portion that is transparent, the retaining film (i) being vacuum sealed over the pet food, (ii) generally taking the shape of the arrangement, and (iii) retaining overall the shape of the arrangement.   
     
     
         20 . The plurality of pet food packages of  claim 19  further comprising a cover film that is adhered about a peripheral rim of the recess and over the cover film. 
     
     
         21 . The plurality of pet food packages of  claim 20  wherein a space at approximately atmospheric pressure is defined between the retaining film and the cover film.