Scotland vs Finland: Meat Packaging

This one is purely a short rant, one which I have several times a week. Bare with me.

In Finland, pre-packaged meat products come in a plastic container, with a thin film of clear plastic covering on top. To open the package, one simply grabs one of the corners of the film with two fingers and in one fell swoop pulls the film off in one piece. No knife needed, and your fingers remain clean.

In Scotland, pre-packaged meat products come in a plastic container, with a thin film of clear plastic covering on top. To open the package, one simply grabs one of the corners of the film with two fingers and in one fell swoop pulls the film off in one piece tears a small bit of the film off, without breaking into the actual package as there’s a second layer under the first. In order to remove the entire film cover, one can either a) tear the film off in tiny shreds in about a minute or five, growing increasingly frustrated at the darn thing, or b) use a knife to cut the film off.

Is the United Kingdom so afraid of germs and bacteria that in order to avoid contact with raw meat the package has to be made impossible to open with bare hands? Fine, guess that might make sense to some who make these decisions. Then why on earth would the identical flimsy plastic film cover be on ready meals?

Which do you prefer:
a) open package in one swift hand motion, removing the plastic film and then dip contents on to a hot pan, or
b) pick up a knife, cut package open by removing the film or by cutting film almost open, pick up film from package if completely removed , dip contents on to a hot pan, wash dirty knife.

-Jani