An easy-open package for food items, such as sausages, and a packaged
sausage product that is hermetically sealed within a cavity. The package
includes first and second sheets. The first sheet defines a cavity for
holding sausages. The second sheet is applied onto the first sheet to
cover the cavity and the sausages. A radiant seal seals the sausages
within the cavity. A peel seal surrounds the radiant seal. In packages
having a reclosable seal, one or more unsealed pockets are defined
between the peel seal and a bottom of the reclosable seal, such as
interlocking grooves or a zipper. The radiant and peel seals define an
unsealed area. The one or more unsealed pockets and the unsealed area
make it easier to open the package, by requiring less force to separate
the first and second sheets. Further, the unsealed area can provide an
area in which purge from the sausages is collected so that the purge is
not dispersed throughout the package, thus providing a more visually
appealing package.