Highlights
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- Meat and meat products have been and still are at the heart of convenience trends.
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- The historical drivers for convenience were identified, as well as their evolution.
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- Contemporary convenience requirements for (urban) populations were explored.
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- Reduction of mental investments has become crucial (e.g., concealment of slaughter).
Abstract
In
past and contemporary foodscapes, meat and meat products have not only
been following convenience trends, they have been at the heart of them.
Historically, the first substantial demands for meat convenience must
have been for the outsourcing of hunting or domestication, as well as
slaughtering activities. In its turn, this prompted concerns for
shelf-life stabilisation and the development of preservation strategies,
such as meat fermentation. Demands for ease of preparation and
consumption can be traced back to Antiquity but have gained in
importance over the centuries, especially with the emergence of novel
socio-cultural expectations and (perceived) time scarcity. Amongst other
trends, this has led to the creation of ready meals and meat snacks and
the expansion of urban fast food cultures. Additionally, contemporary
requirements focus on the reduction of mental investments, via the
“convenient” concealment of slaughtering, the optimisation of
nutritional qualities, and the instant incorporation of more intangible
matters, such as variety, hedonistic qualities, reassurance, and
identity. An overview is given of the technological issues related to
the creation of meat convenience, in its broadest sense, along with
their societal implications.
Keywords
- Convenience;
- Meat;
- Packaging;
- Shelf-life;
- Consumer;
- Slaughter
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