Food packaging system

A pre-packaged, uncooked deep dish pizza product, comprising in combination:

• a pan for holding the deep dish pizza product, the pan having a bottom wall, a side wall and an upper outwardly extending rim;
• a shield member in the form of an annular ring disposed about the rim of the pan so as to shield an outer periphery of food product disposed in the pan during cooking;
• a support tray for securing the pan, deep dish pizza product and shield member, the support tray defining a stepped recess enclosed by a bottom wall, with a first recess portion receiving the side wall of the pan and a second recess portion for receiving the rim of the pan and the shield member;
• and
• a support member including a body portion contacting the bottom wall of the tray, the support member further including a pair of laterally spaced apart wings hingedly joined to the body portion and an end wall also hingedly joined to the body portion, the wings and the end wall foldable so as to form a pocket for receiving a part of at least one of the tray recess portions.

A food product packaging system comprising in combination:

• a pan for holding the food product, the pan having a bottom wall, a side wall and an upper outwardly extending rim;
• a support tray defining at least one cavity and a bottom wall at the bottom of the cavity, for securing the pan and the food product, the support tray defining a pocket to allow access to a user to lift the pan from the support tray, the tray also providing structural support for said tray in an upstanding position;
• a protective member disposed about the tray so as to cover said at least one cavity;
• and
• a shield member disposed about the rim of the pan so as to shield an outer periphery of food product disposed in the pan during cooking.