Two packs of poultry can need different pads for reasons that have nothing to do with the bird. The tray and the lidding film decide how much room there is, how the pad sits, and whether the film seals at all. Carrying a red-meat pad across from another line usually gets the absorbency roughly right and the geometry wrong, and a pack that will not seal is worse than one that runs wet. This guide covers what the tray format fixes — rim clearance, base area, placement — and gives a table for matching pad to pack format.
1. The pack format sets the pad before the goods do
- Rim clearance. Pad plus product has to finish below the rim. If it does not, the film bridges over the goods instead of sealing to the tray flange, and the pack looks as though it is floating.
- Base area. The pad should be a little smaller than the tray base so it lies flat and does not ride up the walls, where it can end up under the seal.
- Lidding method. A film-sealed tray, an overwrapped tray and a vacuum pouch each hold the pad differently, and only the first lets liquid drain freely down to it.
None of these are absorbency questions. They are why one pad size can be right for a line and wrong for the next one in the same plant.
2. Depth and base area, in practice
- Depth is a budget, not a preference. Every millimetre of pad is a millimetre the product cannot use. On a deep tray that is free; on a shallow one it is the difference between a flat lid and a domed one.
- Thickness is not the same as capacity. A thicker pad holds more, but it also raises the goods, and on a shallow tray that trade is usually not worth taking.
- Placement is not optional. The pad belongs in the tray base, under the product, where gravity takes the liquid down to it. Laid over the goods it hides them and collects nothing.
Where the pack is a pouch or a bag rather than a tray, the pad is held against the product instead of sitting under it, and the useful question becomes whether the film presses it flat or lets it fold.
3. Choosing by pack format
| Pack format | Rim clearance | Pad size | Pad thickness | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep lidded tray | generous — depth is cheap here | cut to the tray base | medium to thick | flat in the base, goods on top |
| Shallow lidded tray | tight — this is the binding constraint | tray base less a small margin | thin; add area rather than height | base, single layer |
| Overwrapped tray | none — the film follows the goods | tray base, full coverage | thin | base; the wrap holds it in place |
| Modified-atmosphere tray | tight, and the seal is the whole point | tray base less a margin, kept clear of the flange | thin to medium | base, flat, no fold at the edge |
| Vacuum pouch or bag | not applicable | sized to the product face | thin | against the product face, not loose in the bag |
Directions rather than figures, because tray dimensions and fill weights vary by market and by line. Where the question is the liquid the poultry itself carries rather than the tray it sits in, that side is covered under chicken absorbent pads. Where the liquid is fatty rather than watery, duck meat absorbent pads covers that side. The wider red-meat range is set out under fresh meat absorbent pads.
4. Where tray specifications go wrong
- Sizing the pad to the tray and then adding thickness. Depth is a budget; spending it on the pad takes it from the product and from the seal.
- Cutting the pad to the full tray base. A pad that reaches the walls rides up them and can sit under the flange.
- Reusing a shallow-tray pad on a deep tray. The pad is not the constraint there, and the extra depth goes to waste.
- Forgetting the lidding method. The same tray sealed with film and wrapped in film need different pad sizes for the same goods.
FAQ
Why does the pack not seal with a thicker pad in it?
Because pad plus product has crossed the rim, so the film bridges over the goods instead of reaching the tray flange. Thickness has to be spent inside the depth the tray allows.
Should the pad cover the whole tray base?
Almost, but not quite. A small margin keeps it flat and away from the walls, where it can interfere with the seal.
Does a thicker pad always absorb more?
It holds more, which is not the same thing. Thickness raises the product, and on a shallow tray that costs more than the extra capacity gains.
Does the pack format change the pad size?
Yes. A lidded tray, an overwrapped tray and a vacuum pouch each hold the pad differently, so the same tray can take two different pad sizes.
Browse the range
Start from the poultry absorbent pads range, or the wider meat absorbent pads group covering beef, pork and lamb. Send the tray dimensions, the lidding method and the fill weight, and a pad size and placement can be matched before samples are issued.