Recommended configuration
| Recommended machine | L-bar sealer and shrink wrap machine with shrink tunnel; side bar sealer for conveyor-fed lines |
| Filling system | None: product is loaded, not dosed |
| Pack format | Clear outer wrap on frozen meat trays, whole poultry, biltong and dried meat, cartons and multipacks |
| Pack sizes | Whole chicken about 1.2 to 2 kg; tray portions 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg |
| Film | Food-grade POF; pre-perforated for whole birds, anti-fog for chilled product |
| Output | Rated up to 25 packs/min; well below that when birds are loaded by hand |
Product behaviour
Meat raises one question before any other: whether the pack needs the air taken out. That decides whether a meat wrapping machine is the right technology, and four more realities shape how it is set up.
Shrink film encloses meat, it does not take the air out. Food-grade polyolefin is a very low oxygen barrier, made for presentation and protection rather than extended shelf life. Fresh cuts that rely on vacuum, modified atmosphere or skin packing need those systems, not a shrink wrapper. Biltong and dried meat are the opposite case: they are dried rather than chilled, so a clear shrink wrap suits them well.
The tray has to survive the tunnel. Most meat that is shrink wrapped is frozen and already in a tray. Polystyrene (Styrofoam) trays are heat sensitive and do not cope with the shrink tunnel, so the tray is chosen for the heat as much as for the meat.
Whole birds trap air and vary in size. A whole chicken holds air in its cavity and around its shape, so pre-perforated film lets that air escape as the film shrinks; film makers produce POF shrink film made for whole chicken, with anti-fog and pre-perforated grades. Birds also differ in size, and whole chickens up to about 2 kg fit the L-bar sealer’s sealing frame and tunnel.
The film touches the food. Wherever it sits on the meat it must be certified food-grade polyolefin, with a heavier, more puncture-resistant gauge for bone-in product and anti-fog film where chilled meat would otherwise fog the pack.
Recommendation
Frozen meat in trays and whole poultry are wrapped on an L-bar sealer and shrink wrap machine with a shrink tunnel; meat and poultry arriving on a conveyor in higher volumes suit a side bar sealer and shrink wrap machine. Both put a clear outer wrap on the pack. Neither takes the air out, so the first table shows where each fits and where meat needs a different technology altogether.
Which machine for which meat pack
| Meat application | L-bar sealer + tunnel | Side bar sealer + tunnel | Needs a different technology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine |  View the L-bar sealer › |  View the side bar sealer › | |
| Frozen meat in a heat-tolerant tray | Best fit | Suits at higher volume | No |
| Whole chicken, up to about 2 kg | Best fit | Suits on a conveyor-fed line | No |
| Biltong and dried meat | Best fit: dried, so it does not rely on air removal | Suits at higher volume | No |
| Frozen poultry and meat, loose | Best fit | Best fit for continuous lines | No |
| Meat cartons | Suits at lower output | Best fit | No |
| Retail meat multipacks | Suits | Best fit at volume | No |
| Meat on polystyrene (Styrofoam) trays | Not suitable: tray is heat sensitive | Not suitable: tray is heat sensitive | Change to a heat-tolerant tray |
| Fresh cuts that need extended shelf life | Not suitable | Not suitable | Yes: vacuum, MAP or skin packing |
| Vacuum-packed, MAP or skin-packed meat | Not suitable | Not suitable | Yes: those are different machines |
L-bar or side bar sealer for meat
| For meat | L-bar sealer + shrink tunnel | Side bar sealer + shrink tunnel |
|---|---|---|
| Machine | View the L-bar sealer › | View the side bar sealer › |
| Best for | Whole chickens and frozen trays loaded one at a time | Meat and poultry arriving on a conveyor, cartons and multipacks |
| How packs arrive | Placed into the film by the operator, or by an automatic infeed | Straight from the line, sealed as they move |
| Pack size | Within the sealing frame; whole chickens up to about 2 kg fit | Length unlimited: the side seal runs continuously |
| Output | Rated up to 25 packs/min; well below that when birds are loaded by hand | Up to 25 packs/min in continuous flow, set by spacing on the infeed |
| Automation | Manual, semi-automatic or automatic | Continuous, for fixed production lines |
| Changing sizes | Handles birds and trays that change through the day | Best with standardised packs on one line |
For the full comparison beyond meat, see L-bar vs side sealer shrink wrap machines.
Filling system
Meat is not dosed on a wrapping line. It arrives frozen in a tray, as a whole bird, or already packed, and the meat wrapping machine’s job is to enclose, seal and shrink. On manual and semi-automatic L-bar machines the operator places each tray or bird into the film; the automatic L-bar adds an infeed conveyor and automatic film feed, and a side bar sealer takes packs straight from the line.
Pack formats
Meat that is shrink wrapped in South Africa is usually frozen and already in a tray, or a whole bird. These are the sizes it is typically sold in, and the film and tray each one needs.
| Pack | Typical sizes sold | Film and tray |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen meat in a tray | 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg portions | Food-grade POF; heat-tolerant tray, not polystyrene |
| Whole chicken | About 1.2 to 2 kg a bird | Pre-perforated food-grade POF so trapped air escapes |
| Frozen poultry and meat, loose | Varies by product | Food-grade POF, heavier gauge for bone-in |
| Biltong and dried meat | Varies by pack | Food-grade POF; dried product needs no anti-fog film |
| Meat cartons and retail multipacks | Varies by carton | POF or heavier film for bundling |
Output
The L-bar sealer is rated at up to 25 packs a minute, and the side bar sealer at up to 25 packs a minute in continuous flow. With meat the operator usually sets the real pace: whole chickens are irregular and are placed into the film by hand, so a manual or semi-automatic line runs well below the rated figure. An automatic infeed on the L-bar, or a conveyor-fed side sealer, is what brings a meat line closer to the rated speed.
Four things decide your figure: the size and shape of the bird or tray, how packs are loaded, whether packs arrive on a conveyor, and the tunnel setting. We confirm a realistic rate by running your product in a trial.
Experience
Every meat enquiry starts with a product trial. Send us frozen trays or whole birds and we will wrap them on the L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel at our Johannesburg showroom, so you see the seal, the shrink and how your tray behaves in the tunnel before you buy.
Quotation
A meat wrapping machine is quoted to your product and your volume, so we need six things from you.
If your fresh meat needs vacuum, MAP or skin packing for shelf life, tell us that first, because it changes the technology. The shrink wrap machine cost guide explains what moves the figure.
Related pages
Meat wrapping sits under the shrink wrap machine range. These pages cover the two machines, the wider food guidance and related chilled products.
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Send us frozen trays or whole birds and we will wrap them on our L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel before you commit to anything.
Questions
It can put a clear outer wrap on meat that is already in a tray and on whole birds, and most meat shrink wrapped in South Africa is frozen and trayed. It does not take the air out of the pack, so fresh cuts that rely on vacuum, modified-atmosphere or skin packing for their shelf life need those systems rather than a meat wrapping machine.
Yes. Whole chickens are wrapped on an L-bar sealer with a shrink tunnel in clear food-grade polyolefin. Pre-perforated film lets the air trapped in and around the bird escape as the film shrinks, and whole chickens up to about 2 kg fit the sealing frame and tunnel.
Not usually. Polystyrene (Styrofoam) trays are heat sensitive and do not cope with a shrink tunnel, so meat that is shrink wrapped is packed in trays that tolerate the heat. Send us your tray and we will test it in a trial.
No. A meat wrapping machine puts a clear shrink wrap around meat or a meat tray. A vacuum sealer draws the air out of a bag around the meat before sealing it, which is what extends the shelf life of fresh cuts. They are different technologies, so decide which pack your meat needs before choosing a machine.
Food-grade polyolefin, usually called POF. Pre-perforated POF suits whole birds, anti-fog POF keeps the pack clear on chilled meat, and heavier or bone-in meat needs a thicker, more puncture-resistant gauge. PVC shrink film is avoided where it would touch the meat.
Yes, and they are a good fit. Biltong and dried meat are kept by drying rather than by chilling or air removal, so a clear food-grade polyolefin wrap on an L-bar sealer and shrink tunnel gives them a tight, tamper-evident pack that shows the product. A side bar sealer suits higher volumes on a conveyor.
