Dive Brief:
- The new Cold Pressure Council is meeting for the first time at the annual Pro Food Tech trade show in Chicago, according to Project NOSH.
- The council will advocate for the advancement of high pressure processing — commonly abbreviated as HPP — as a crucial technology in the food and beverage world for processors, brands and consumers.
- There are eight founding members of CPP, including Avure Technologies, Suja, Campbell’s, Evolution Fresh and Good Foods.
Dive Insight:
High pressure processing transitioned from the lab to the production floor almost two decades ago. Now the technology is making inroads for a variety of products sold be consumer packaged goods companies.
Still Market foresees the HPP technology market to reach $600 million and the market for high pressure processed foods to reach $12 billion by 2018. HPP is very popular in the raw juice category because of its ability to preserve freshness, and is increasingly being used by food companies to innovate the refrigerated space.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, high pressure processing subjects liquid and solid foods, with or without packaging, to pressures between 100 and 800 MPa — which is more than the amount of pressure that can be felt at the deepest part of the ocean.
The high pressure kills most pathogens, yet preserves freshness, helps prolong shelf life, and maintains taste for longer. It doesn't include heat treatments or chemical processing, making the process especially popular with brands that pride themselves on fresh food and clean labels.
The newly assembled Cold Pressure Council aims to make the technology available to companies of “all sizes, spanning categories like juice, salsa, hummus, dressing, prepared entrees and even baby food.”
It also plans to formalize a guide of industry best practices and enact a verification system that will give products a seal noting the it was packaged through HPP and certified as safe. With safety being a chief concern to today’s consumers, that’s something that could help sales of those that have the designation.