Food manufacturers supply a wide range of products to customers in the food service industry, including the entertainment, hospitality, and travel sectors. Many of these customers are seeking fresher and safer products that last longer without the need for added preservatives. The food service industry is turning to High Pressure Processing (HPP) to solve food safety and shelf-life concerns for their customers.
Safer Products & Longer Shelf-Life
HPP uses only water and extreme pressure, applied evenly on all sides of packaged food products, to inactivate foodborne bacteria. Due to the even pressure, the product itself remains intact, only eliminating the harmful bacteria. This naturally enables extended shelf-life and longer distribution range. Manufacturing suppliers of the food service industry can provide ready-to-cook (RTC) and ready-to-eat (RTE) products without the need for freezing and thawing. This allows for more timely and convenient application in the final product at the customer level, as well as a wider window for the product to be distributed and used before it spoils.
Fresher Products & Cleaner Labels
Because of the pure nature of HPP, there is no need for harsh preservatives or unnecessary ingredients. to achieve the desired shelf-life of the final product. Products that undergo HPP are fresh for longer, as long as they remain under refrigeration until consumption. Many brands are turning to this technique to achieve shorter ingredient lists, thus appealing to today’s health-conscious consumers. Fresher products and cleaner labels, without added preservatives, are attainable just by applying High Pressure Processing.
Food Service HPP Product Applications
Food service product applications that work well with HPP include: wet salads, dips, dressings, salsas, guacamole, purees, sides, and entrees. Products must contain a certain amount of water activity and be in plastic packaging, which allows the product to be flexible under the pressure, so that the product is not crushed, and the packaging does not rupture. Learn more about HPP packaging requirements here.
Food service industry suppliers can provide fresh and safe products to their customers with cleaner labels and longer shelf-life, all with one step – High Pressure Processing. Due to the bulk nature of the process, it works perfectly for food service products. Check out this case study with Chairmans Foods to see how they went from frozen to fresh and increased their ROI just by integrating High Pressure Processing into their product offerings.
