With its exceptional barrier qualities, durability to high temperatures, and ease of use, retort bag packaging technology offers a solution for pre-cooked foods that may be kept at room temperature while maintaining safety, hygienic conditions, and taste preservation. It greatly supports the large-scale development and market expansion of the pre-cooked food sector by successfully addressing a number of issues that pre-cooked foods confront, including shelf life, storage and transportation costs, and consumer experience. Utilizing retort bags is a calculated decision made by producers of pre-cooked foods to increase product competitiveness and expand their market; for consumers, it means having easier access to a wider variety of safer, tastier, and more varied foods.
Dish categories: such as braised pork, curry chicken, braised pork with mushrooms, and various meat and vegetable dishes.
Soup, sauce and seasoning categories: such as borscht, Buddha Jumps Wall, various hot pot base seasonings and flavoring sauces.
Rice and noodle categories: such as instant rice, seasoned noodles, etc.
Meat products and aquatic products categories: such as marinated beef, marinated duck neck, packaged seafood, etc.
Although the benefits of the retort bag are great, there are several challenges/difficulties during actual use.
Cost Considerations: The raw material and bag-making costs of high-performance retort bags (particularly those with aluminum foil layers) are considerable.
High process requirements: The high-temperature sterilization procedure necessitates extremely exact control of temperature, pressure, and time. Otherwise, it could degrade food quality or induce spoiling.
Environmental protection and recycling: Currently, most retort bags are comprised of several material composites, which make recycling and separation challenging. Their environmental friendliness remains an issue where the industry must always improve. Some businesses are developing more environmentally friendly recyclable or degradable composite materials.
Consumer perception: Some consumers may be skeptical about "pre-cooked food stored at room temperature," therefore market education and brand assistance are required to convey the concepts of safety and convenience.
