CA2883975A1

CA2883975A1 - Cook-in, stand up pouch for live shellfish

Info

Publication number: CA2883975A1
Application number: CA2883975A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Scott DOCKENDORFF; Esther DOCKENDORFF
Original assignee: PEI Mussel King (1994) Inc
Current assignee: PEI Mussel King (1994) Inc
Priority date: 2015-03-05
Filing date: 2015-03-05
Publication date: 2016-09-05
Also published as: WO2016138591A1

Abstract

A cook-in, stand-up pouch for live shellfish and a method for the same are provided. The pouch includes a main pocket for packing live shellfish; a second pocket formed upon the main pocket; an expansion member configured to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically open the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish;
and a venting member configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.

Description

COOK-11\1, STAND UP POUCH FOR LIVE SHELLFISH
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates to packaging, and, more specifically, to pouches for packing and delivering of live shellfish and cooking the shellfish.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Conventionally, boxes, mesh bags and/or packages are used to distribute live shellfish to end users. To cook the live shellfish, the end users must open the boxes, bags and/or packages, remove the boxes, bags and/or packages to take out the shellfish and transfer the shellfish into cooking vessels for cooking. It is therefore desirable to provide a cook-in package that allows for shipping and distribution of live shellfish and cooking of the shellfish.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cook-in, stand-up pouch, which includes: a main pocket for storing live shellfish; a second pocket formed upon the main pocket; an expansion member configured to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically open the bottom of the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish; and a venting member configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.

[0004] In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cook-in, stand-up pouch, which includes a bottom wall; a front wall extending from the bottom wall; a back wall extending from the bottom wall; an expansion member, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the bottom wall substantially define a main pocket having an inner space for packing live shellfish, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the expansion member substantially define a second pocket having an inner space; and a venting member, the expansion member configured to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically connect the main pocket and the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish; and the venting member configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.

[0005] In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing a cook-in, stand-up pouch with live shellfish, which includes: providing a film comprising a bottom wall, a front wall extending from the bottom wall, a back wall extending from the bottom wall, an expansion member, and a venting member, the peripheral edges of the film being sealed, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the bottom wall substantially define a main pocket having an inner space for packing live shellfish, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the expansion member substantially defme a second pocket having an inner space; containing the live shellfish in the pouch; applying compression on the live shellfish in the pouch; closing the main pocket by using the expansion member, the bottom of the second pocket being separated from the main pocket; closing a top section of the pouch to close the top of the second pocket, wherein the expansion member is configured to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically connect the main pocket and the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket;
and wherein the venting member is configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0007] FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective front view of a pouch.

[0008] FIGURE 2 is a schematic perspective back view of the pouch shown in FIGURE 1.

[0009] FIGURE 3 is a schematic plan view of a film of the pouch shown in FIGURE 1 in its unshaped, flat out state.

[0010] FIGURE 4 is a schematic cross-section view of the film shown in FIGURE
3 where a front wall and a back wall are folded to shape the pouch 100 of FIGURE 1.

[0011] FIGURE 5 is a schematic cross-section view of the film shown in FIGURE
3 where a raised bottom section is formed in a bottom wall;

[0012] FIGURES 6A-6C are schematic views illustrating an example of a cooking method using the pouch of FIGURE 1;

[0013] FIGURE 7 is a schematic plane view of an example of the pouch shown in in its shaped, but flat out state;

[0014] FIGURE 8 is a schematic plane view of the example of the pouch shown in in its unshaped, flat out state; and

[0015] FIGURE 9 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for providing the pouch shown in FIGURE 1.

[0016] For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, are only schematic and are non-limiting, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements, unless stated otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Pouches for live shellfish are described below, by way of example only, with reference to Figures 1-9. In the present disclosure, the pouches are configured to pack and transport live shellfish to end users and to be used for cooking of the shellfish in the pouches. The term "live shellfish" as used in the present disclosure may include any bivalve shellfish, which may include, for example, but not limited to, mussels, clams, and oysters. The term "end user(s)"
as used in the present disclosure may include, for example, but not limited to, chefs in restaurants, institutional kitchens or other food service establishments, customers, and/or consumers. The pouch provides an environment for the live shellfish packed into the pouch, which may not affect the expected shelf-life of the shellfish throughout the regular shipping, distribution, and selling period. The pouch is usable for cooking of the shellfish packed into the pouch.

[0018] Referring to Figures 1-5, a cook-in, stand-up pouch 100 for live shellfish is provided.
By the way of example only, the live shellfish packed in the cook-in, stand-up pouch 100 are live mussels. The cook-in, stand-up pouch 100 is a package that provides an environment suitable for storage and transportation of the live mussels and cooking of the mussels. For example, the pouch 100 is configured to have breathability for the live mussels, resistance to product compression on the live mussels, heat resistance (e.g., microwavable), leak resistance, expansion ability, and steam retention, as described below. The term "steam"
as used in the present disclosure may include vapors. The pouch 100 thereby provides an easy, reliable and convenient way to prepare and cook live mussels. The pouch 100 may be a disposable and/or recyclable, heat resistant, and compression resistant package. The pouch 100 allows the end user to cook the mussels packed in the pouch, for example, using a microwave, a grill or an oven, without manually adding any alternation to the pouch 100 and without use of an additional cooking vessel. After cooking, the pouch 100 may be recycled or disposed of with little or no clean-up. The pouch 100 may have a dimension (e.g., length, width, and/or height) and/or a shape adapted for any cooking appliances (e.g., microwave ovens, grilles, ovens) suitable for cooking mussels. The dimension and/or the shape of each element of the pouch 100 may be determined to allow the pouch 100 to stand up before, during and/or after cooking of the mussels.

[0019] The pouch 100 includes a main pocket (bottom pocket) 110, a second pocket (upper pocket) 120 and an expansion member 130. The second pocket 120 is disposed onto the main pocket 110. The expansion member 130 is configured to separate the main pocket 110 and the second pocket 120, and also to open the bottom of the second pocket 120 during cooking of the mussels, thereby providing a single large volume in the pouch 100 available for cooking of the mussels, as described below.

[0020] The main pocket 110 is generally defined by a bottom section 202 of a front wall 200, a bottom section 212 of a back wall 210 and a bottom wall 220 together with the expansion member 130. The main pocket 110 defines a first inner volume. The main pocket 110 is configured to pack the live mussels having shells. When packing the live mussels, compression is applied on the shells of the mussels in the pouch 100 to tightly pack the live mussels in the main pocket 110 in such a manner that there is substantially little room available for the mussels to gape. This assists the abductor muscles of the mussels to hold the shells closed. The inner volume of the main pocket 110 may be determined based on the number N of the mussels (e.g., N> 1: N is an integer) and/or the total volume of the mussels, to substantially tightly pack the live mussels. The volume of the main pocket 110 may be, for example, but not limited to, about 1.5 litres for about 680 grams of mussels.
The volume of the main pocket 110 may be, for example, but not limited to, in the range of about 0.5 litres to about 5 litres for about 225 g to 2.25 kg of mussels. The bottom wall 220 defining the main pocket 110 may include one or more raised bottom sections 180, as described below.

[0021] The second pocket 120 is generally defined by an upper section 204 of the front wall 200 and an upper section 214 of the back wall 210 together with the expansion member 130.
The second pocket 120 defines a second inner volume. The bottom of the second pocket 120 opens using the expansion member 130 to connect to the main pocket 110, thereby increasing the overall volume of the pouch 100. This allows the shells of the mussels to open. For example, the second pocket 120 may be designed to increase the overall volume of the pouch 100 by 25% approximately using the expansion member 130. The second pocket 120 may be sized to increase the overall volume of the pouch 100 by 20-25% approximately, available for cooking of the mussels. The second pocket 120 may be sized to increase the overall volume of the pouch 100 by 100 % approximately. The dimension (e.g., length, width, and/or height) and/or the shape of the second pocket 120 may be different from the dimension and/or the shape of the main pocket 110. The dimension and/or the shape of the second pocket 120 may be substantially the same as the dimension and/or the shape of the main pocket 110.

[0022] The second pocket 120 may be configured to pack and store food additives. The food additives packed in the second pocket 120 may include any solid, gel or liquid material that may affect food products, which may have, for example, tastes and/or flavours.
The food additives contained in the second pocket 120 may include, for example, but not limited to, seasonings, spices, sauces, dehydrated vegetables (e.g., chopped celery, carrot, onion, or a combination thereof), and/or a combination thereof. By opening the bottom of the second pocket 120, the food additives originally contained in the second pocket 120 are directed toward the mussels in the pouch 100. This allows cooking of the mussels together with the food additives without manually adding such food additives.

[0023] The top section of the second pocket 120 is sealed by a top sealing 150. The top sealing 150 may be formed by connecting a sealing section 152 of the front wall 200 and a sealing section 154 of the back wall 210. The top sealing 150 may be formed by, for example but not limited to, heat sealing and/or compression sealing. The top sealing 150 provides a leak-resistant closure that prevents leakage of contents from the inside of the pouch 100. The top sealing 150 is resistant to steam pressure in the pouch 100 during cooking, thereby retaining steam inside the pouch 100 during cooking.

[0024] Each of the peripheral sections 140 and 142 of the front wall 200, the back wall 210 and the bottom wall 220 are sealed. The size and/or dimension of the peripheral section 140 may be substantially same as the size and/or dimension of the peripheral section 142. The peripheral sections 140 and 142 may be sealed by, for example, but not limited to, heat sealing and/or compression sealing. The peripheral sections 140 and 142 may be sealed prior to or when applying compression on the shells of the mussels. The sealed peripheral sections 140 and 142 are resistant to product compression added onto the mussels in the pouch 100 to hold the shells of the mussels closed. The sealed peripheral sections 140 and 142 act as leak-resistant closures that prevent leakage of contents from the inside of the pouch 100. The sealed peripheral sections 140 and 142 are resistant to steam pressure in the pouch 100 during cooking, thereby retaining steam inside the pouch 100.

[0025] The expansion member 130 is configured to provide a substantially tight closure to prevent leakage from the second pocket 120 to the main pocket 110 and/or from the second pocket 120 to the main pocket 110. The expansion member 130 is also configured to automatically open by steam pressure build-up in the pouch 100. This allows integration of the inside of the main pocket 110 and the inside of the second pocket 120.
This leads to a change of the overall volume of the pouch 100 (i.e., expanding a cooking area) that is available during cooking and allows the shells of the mussels in the pouch 100 to open.

[0026] The expansion member 130 may include a fastener, such as a plastic zipper, a hook fastener, a loop fastener, and/or light heat seal, which may separate the main pocket 110 and the second pocket 120 and also open using steam pressure in the pouch 100. The expansion member 130 may include a first expansion member 132 on the front wall 200 and a second expansion member 134 on the back wall 210, both of which are releasably sealed together.

[0027] The pouch 100 includes a venting member 160 that is suitable for respiration of live mussels and a controlled release of steam (i.e., restriction of the venting of steam). The venting member 160 may be disposed in the main pocket 110. The venting member 160 may be formed near the expansion member 130. The venting member 160 is configured to allow exchanges of gases such that the live mussels in the main pocket 110 respire substantially normally, thereby keeping the mussels alive during a first period. This first period may include initial processing and packing, shipping and retail distribution of the shellfish, and retention of them in the end users' refrigerators until they are cooked. The pouch 100 with the venting member 160 may be configured as a water proof package that may prevent leaking of water or liquid from the venting member 160 in the first period.
The venting member 160 is also configured to provide a controlled release of steam within the pouch 100 in the second period. The second period includes cooking of the mussels. Using the controlled release of steam mechanism, at least a part of steam is retained in the pouch 100 to promote a substantially even cook of the mussels while a part of steam is released. This also prevents the pouch 100 from bursting due to pressure in the pouch 100.

[0028] For example, the venting mechanism 160 includes a plurality of perforations 162 arranged in the front wall 200 and a plurality of perforations 164 arranged in the back wall 210. The perforations 162 and 164 may be arranged to ensure a substantially even cooking of the mussels and also to provide the breathability and the controlled release of steam. The perforations 162 may be substantially symmetrically arranged to the perforations 164. The perforations 162 and 164 may be aligned in the pouch 100 with a staggered arrangement. The perforations 162, 164 may be disposed adjacent to the expansion member 130.
The perforations 162 and 164 may be disposed beneath the expansion members 132 and 134, respectively. The size and/or, dimension and number of the perforations 162, 164 may be determined based on the breathability of the mussels and a release rate of steam, which may be determined based on the number of the mussels packed in the pouch 100, the size of the mussels, the total volume of the mussels, the volume of the main pocket 110, the overall volume of the pouch 100, or a combination thereof.

[0029] In one example, the perforations 162, 164 may be a series of holes, each having an inner diameter. The average inner diameter of the hole may be, for example, but not limited to, about 0.6 mm. The average inner diameter of the hole may be, for example, but not limited to, in the range of about 0.5 mm to about 0.7 mm. The number of the holes may be, for example, but not limited to, 7 in each side of the front wall 200 and the back wall 210.
The number of the holes in one of the walls 200 and 210 may be, for example, but not limited to, in the range of about 6 to about 8. The diameter and number of the holes may be determined based on the breathability and the controlled release of steam. The perforations 162, 164 may be micro-perforations.

[0030] In one example, the perforations 162, 164 may be designed to have at least an oxygen transmission rate of 10,000 cc/m2/24h so that the health and self life of the mussels will benefit from breathability. In a further example, the perforations 162, 164 may be designed to maintain more than an oxygen transmission rate in the range of about 10,000 to 20,000 cc/m2/24h.

[0031] The pouch 100 includes an opening member 170 to open the upper pocket 120. Using the opening member 170, cooked mussels can be transferred to the outside of the pouch 100.
By way of example only, the open member 170 includes one or more tearing cuts.
The tearing cuts of the opening member 170 are formed, for example, but not limited to, in the peripheral sections 140 and 142, adjacent to the sealing section 150. The pouch 100 may have one tearing cut as the opening member 170 in one of the peripheral sections 140 and 142.

[0032] The pouch 100 may include a further top sealing 190, by which the top of the front wall 200 and the top of the back wall 210 are sealed. The top sealing 190 may be formed by, for example, but not limited to, heat sealing and/or compression sealing.

[0033] As shown in Figures 3-5, the pouch 100 may be formed from a continuous member product 300. The continuous member product 300 may be a sheet, a film or a web. By way of the example only, the continuous member product 300 is referred to as "film 300". In the present description, the words "film", "web", and "sheet" may be used interchangeably. The film 300 may comprise disposable or recyclable, heat-resistant, sealable, compressible and/or leak resistant material, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, or metal foil film. The film 300 may be a thermo-formed plastic bag. The film 300 may be a non-meltable or microwavable sheet available at cooking temperatures of the mussels. The film 300 may include a flexible or semi-flexible film or a rigid or semi-rigid film that can maintain its stand-up shape. The film 300 may have a compressive strength enough to withstand compression on the shells of the mussels within the pouch 100, which is applied to keep their shells closed.
The film 300 may include more than one layer. The film 300 may be laminated.
The film 300 may have a printable coating which may be used as a label. The label may be configured to provide product information, such as information on mussels, best before date/expire date, instructions as to how to keep the pouch 100 and/or how to cook the mussels using the pouch 100.

[0034] The first and second expansion members 132 and 134 may be formed on one side of the film 300 of the pouch 100 or are incorporated into the film 300. Various methods may be employed to dispose or create or incorporate the first and second expansion members 132 and 134 in the film 300 of the pouch 100.

[0035] At least a part of the bottom wall 220 is transformed to form the raised bottom section(s) 180 as shown in Figure 4. The raised bottom section 180 is formed by folding the bottom wall 220 along a substantially middle line 234 of the bottom wall 220 and sealing the edge of the raised bottom section 180 with the peripheral section 140 (142).
This raised bottom section 180 may be configured to retain moisture for cooking, such as water or liquid, in an area 236 between the inner wall of the raised bottom section 180 and the front wall 200 and/or in an area 238 between the inner wall of the raised bottom section 180 and the back wall 220, as shown in Figure 5. This raised bottom section 180 allows the live mussels packed in the main pocket 110 to respire substantially normal while substantially preventing them from being immersed into water or liquid in the main pocket 110.

[0036] The film 300 may be formed such that each of the front wall 200, the back wall 210 and the bottom wall 220 has a substantially rectangular shape as shown in Figure 3.
However, the shape, size and/or dimension of each front wall 200, the back wall 210 and the bottom wall 220 is not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0037] Referring to Figures 6A-6C, one example of a cooking method using the pouch 100 of Figures 1-5 is described. In Figures 6A-6C, the pouch 100 is shown as a transparent pouch for illustrative purposes only. The pouch 100 contains live shellfish 310 in its main pocket 110 and also contains food additives 320 in its second pocket 120. By way of the example only the shellfish 310 are mussels. Water or liquid may be contained in the main pocket 110 using the raised bottom sections 180 of the bottom wall 220. The pouch 100 is placed in a microwave 600 (see Figure 6A). The cooking time is set and a start button of the microwave 600 is on. Steam pressure begins after a few minutes. A part of steam in the pouch 100 is released through the venting member 160 (see Figure 6B), which prevents the pouch 100 from exploding. The steam pressure forces the expansion member 130 to be released (i.e., opening of the expansion member 130 and/or opening of the bottom of the second pocket 120) (see Figure 6C). The pouch 100 turns into a pressure cooker due to steam pressure in the pouch 100, allowing the mussels to be cooked substantially evenly and appropriately.
The right amount of steam is released from the pouch 100 via the venting member 160, which prevents the pouch 100 from bursting. The food additives 320 are directed to the mussels 310. After cooking, the pouch 100 is removed from the microwave 600 and the cooked mussels are taken out from the pouch 100 by tearing or cutting off the top section of the second pocket 120 using the opening member 170. In Figures 6A-6C, the microwave 600 is used to cook the mussels packed in the pouch 100. However, the pouch 100 may be formed from a material that is suitable for packing and transferring of live shellfish and cooking them using an oven or a grill.

[0038] Referring to Figures 7-8, one example of the pouch 100 is described.
The width of the pouch 100 may be about 205 mm when it is flat out. The length of the pouch 100 may be about 256 mm when it is flat out. The width of each of the peripheral sections 140 and 142 may be about 8 mm. The distance between the opening member 170 and the top of the pouch 100 may be about 25 mm. The distance between the middle of the expansion element 130 and the opening member 170 is about 39 mm. Each of the perforations of the venting member 160 may have a diameter of about 0.6 mm. The distance between one perforation and adjacent perforation may be about 2.6 cm. The length of the bottom wall 220 may be about 102 mm, and the raised bottom section 180 may have the maximum height of about 51 mm. The pouch 100 may be laminated with a painting coating as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, the venting member (e.g., 160 of Figure 7) is not shown. The venting member may be disposed in the film of the pouch after printing information (e.g., product information, best before date etc) on the film of the pouch. Alternatively the venting member may be disposed in the film of the pouch prior to printing the information on the film of the pouch.

[0039] Referring to Figure 9, one example of a method 900 for providing the pouch 100 of Figure 1 is described. By the way of example only, live shellfish packed in the pouch 100 are live mussels. The film 300 of Figure 3 is provided 902, including sealing of the peripheral sections 140 and 142. The raised bottom section 180 may be formed. The live mussels are placed 904 in the main pocket 110 area of the pouch 100, which may be pre-processed (e.g., cleaning mussels, sorting mussels). Compression is applied 906 on the live mussels in the pouch 100. The main pocket 110 is closed 908 using the expansion member 130.
This allows the second pocket 120 to be separated from the main pocket 110. Optionally, food additives, such as spices, seasonings, sauces, and dehydrated vegetables are stored in the second pocket 120 area of the pouch 100. The top section of the pouch 100 is sealed 912. The resultant pouch 100 is packed into shipping boxes, shipped, and distributed to an eventual end-user.

[0040] The method 900 of Figure 9 is shown by way of example only. Some of the steps of the method 900 may be conducted substantially simultaneously or substantially in parallel.
The method 900 of Figure 9 may include other operations, for example, but not limited to, preprocessing mussels (cleaning mussels, sorting mussels), printing information on the coating of the film, and/or preparing the film.

[0041] The words of degree, such as "about", "substantially", "approximately"
and the like as used herein are used herein to allow for a certain degree of tolerance in respect of the associated value. The use of the word "about" or "substantially" or "approximately" means that a value of an element has a parameter that is expected to be close to a stated value or position.

[0042] The words "before", "after", "during", "while", and "when" as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a delay, between an action that is initiated by the initial action. Additionally, the term "while" means that a certain action occurs at least within some portion of duration of the initial action. There may be minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated.

[0043] One or more currently preferred embodiments have been described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A cook-in, stand-up pouch for live shellfish, comprising:
a main pocket for storing live shellfish;
a second pocket formed upon the main pocket;
an expansion member configured to:
separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically open the bottom of the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish; and a venting member configured to:
transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.

2. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member comprises:
a first expansion member arranged on a front wall of the pouch, and a second expansion member arranged on a back wall of the pouch, the first expansion member and the second expansion member being releasably sealed to each other.

3. The pouch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the expansion member comprises:
a fastener.

4. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member comprises:
heat seal of a front wall and a back wall of the pouch, and/or compression seal releasably separating the main pocket and the second pocket.

5. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the expansion member is continuously disposed between the main pocket and the second pocket.

6. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the venting member is disposed adjacent to the expansion member.

7. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the venting member is arranged in the main pocket, adjacent to the expansion member.

8. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the venting member comprises:
a plurality of perforations for the air transmission and the controlled release of steam.

9. The pouch according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of perforations comprises:
a first group of perforations of the plurality of perforations, arranged in a front wall of the pouch; and a first group of perforations of the plurality of perforations, arranged in a back wall of the pouch.

The pouch according to claim 9, wherein the first and second groups of perforations are disposed adjacent to the venting member.

11. The pouch according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first group of perforations are arranged substantially symmetrical to the second group of perforations.

12. The pouch according to any one of claims 8-11, wherein each of the plurality of perforations is a hole having an inner diameter configured for the air transmission and the controlled release of steam.

13. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the venting member is configured to have a breathability of at least about 10,000 cc/m2/24h or greater while controlling the release of the steam.

14. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the main pocket is substantially defined by a part of a front wall, a part of a back wall and a bottom wall, the pouch comprising a raised section formed in the bottom wall to create a space for water or liquid for cooking of the shellfish while permitting respiration of the shellfish in the main pouch.

15. The pouch according to claim 1, comprising:
an opening member disposed beneath the top section of the second pocket, configured to open the top of the second pocket.

16. The pouch according to claim 15, wherein the opening member comprises:
at least one tearing cut disposed on at least one peripheral edge of the second pocket.

17. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the main pocket and the second pocket are formed from a film including a front wall, a back wall and a bottom wall, wherein a first part of the front wall, a first part of the back wall and the bottom wall substantially define the main pocket, and wherein a second part of the front wall and a second part of the back wall substantially define the second pocket.

18. The pouch according to claim 17, wherein the film is a disposable film.

19. The pouch according to claim 17, wherein the film is a recyclable film.

20. The pouch according to any one of claims 17-19, wherein the film comprises a heat-resistant material, a compression-resistant material, or a combination thereof.

21. The pouch according to any one of claims 17-20, wherein the film comprises a printable coating.

22. The pouch according to any one of claims 17-21, wherein the film is sized to form the pouch of about 0.5 litres to about 5 litres for about 225 g to about 2.25kg of the shellfish.

23. The pouch according to any one of claims 17-21, wherein the film is sized to form the pouch of about 1.5 litres with about 680 g of the shellfish.

24. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the venting member is formed using a plurality of holes, each of which includes an inner diameter of about 0.6 mm.

25. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the venting member is formed using a plurality of holes, each of which includes an inner diameter of about 0.5 mm to about 0.7 mm.

26. The pouch according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the distance between the hole and the adjacent hole is about 2.6 mm.

27. The pouch according to any one of claims 24-26, wherein the number of the holes is about 6 to about 8 in each side of the pouch.

28. The pouch according to any one of claims 24-26, wherein the number of the holes is about 7 in each side of the pouch.

29. The pouch according to claim 1, wherein the venting member comprises a plurality of micro-perforations.

30. The pouch according to any one of claims 17-29, wherein each of the front wall, the back wall and the bottom wall is substantially rectangular in shape.

31. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-30, wherein the live shellfish packed in the pouch include live bivalve shellfish.

32. The pouch according to claim 31, wherein the live shellfish comprise mussels, clams and/or oysters.

33. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-32, wherein the second pocket is configured to receive one or more food additives.

34. The pouch according to claim 33, wherein the one or more food additives comprise one or more of seasonings, spices, sauces, and/or dehydrated vegetables.

35. The pouch according to claim 33 or 34, wherein the expansion mechanism is configured to drop the food additives from the second pocket to the main pocket.

36. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-35, wherein the main pocket is configured to accommodate the live shellfish by applying compression on shells of the shellfish to keep the shells closed.

37. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-36, wherein the pouch has a dimension, a shape or a combination thereof adapted for microwave opens, grills, ovens and/or any other cooking appliances.

38. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-36, wherein the pouch has a dimension, a shape, or a combination thereof that allows the pouch to stand up before, during and/or after cooking of the shellfish

39. The pouch according to any one of claims 1-36, wherein the second pocket is formed to increase the overall volume of the pouch by about 25 %.

40. A cook-in, stand-up pouch for live shellfish, comprising:
a bottom wall;
a front wall extending from the bottom wall;
a back wall extending from the bottom wall;
an expansion member, wherein the front wall, the back wall, and the bottom wall substantially define a main pocket having an inner space for packing live shellfish, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the expansion member substantially define a second pocket having an inner space; and a venting member, the expansion member configured to:
separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically connect the main pocket and the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand the volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish; and the venting member configured to:
transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.

41. The pouch according to claim 40, wherein the expansion member is formed to releasably fasten a part of the front wall and a part of the back wall along a longitudinal direction of the pouch.

.42. The pouch according to claim 40, wherein the venting member comprises a plurality of perforations disposed in the bottom section of the front wall and the bottom section of the back wall.

43. The pouch according to claim 42, wherein the perforations are disposed adjacent to the expansion member.

44. The pouch according to any one of claims 40-43, comprising:
a raised section formed in the bottom wall to create a space for water or liquid for cooking of the shellfish while permitting respiration of the live shellfish in the main pouch.

45. The pouch according to any one of claims40-44, wherein the expansion member comprises an opening mechanism to open the bottom of the second pocket.

46. The pouch according to any one of claims 40-45, comprising an opening member to open the top of the second pocket.

47. The pouch according to claim 46, wherein the opening member comprises one or more of cuts.

48. A method for providing a cook-in, stand-up pouch with live shellfish, comprising:
providing a film comprising a bottom wall, a front wall extending from the bottom wall, a back wall extending from the bottom wall, an expansion member; and a venting member, the peripheral edges of the film being sealed, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the bottom wall substantially define a main pocket having an inner space for packing live shellfish, wherein the front wall, the back wall and the expansion member substantially define a second pocket having an inner space;
containing the live shellfish in the pouch;
applying compression on the live shellfish in the pouch;
closing the main pocket by using the expansion member, the bottom of the second pocket being separated from the main pocket;
closing a top section of the pouch to close the top of the second pocket, wherein the expansion member is configured to: separate the main pocket and the second pocket, and automatically connect the main pocket and the second pocket using steam pressure build-up in the main pocket to expand a volume of the pouch available for cooking of the shellfish; and wherein the venting member is configured to: transmit air for respiration of the live shellfish in the pouch; and control a release of steam in the pouch toward the outside of the pouch.