Food Engineering logo
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • MEDIA
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Latest Headlines
  • Manufacturing News
  • People & Industry News
  • Plant Openings
  • Recalls
  • Regulatory Watch
  • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
  • New Plant Products
  • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
  • Alternative Protein
  • Automation
  • Cannabis
  • Cleaning | Sanitation
  • Fabulous Food Plants
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance Strategies
  • OEE
  • Packaging
  • Sustainability
  • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
  • Plant Construction Survey
  • Plant of the Year
  • Sustainable Plant of the Year
  • State of Food Manufacturing
  • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • EVENTS
  • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
  • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
  • eNewsletter
  • Custom Content & Marketing Services
  • FE Store
  • Government Links
  • Industry Associations
  • Market Research
  • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
  • eMagazine
  • Archive Issue
  • Advertise
Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Latest headlinesManufacturing News

Manufacturing News

HPP gets an official voice

Industry group focuses on advancing high-pressure processing

By Wayne Labs, Senior Contributing Technical Editor
ManufacturingNews0717
June 20, 2017

Nine founding companies have worked together with PMMI to create a new industry group, the Cold Pressure Council (CPC), to focus on the advancement of high-pressure processing (HPP) within the food and beverage industry.

HPP has been used successfully to “pasteurize” several varieties of foods with a relatively high degree of water content, thus extending their shelf life. Examples include avocados, lobster, salsa, lunch meats and even RTE meals.

The council’s founding members are Avure Technologies (now owned by JBT), Hiperbaric, American Pasteurization Company, Universal Pasteurization - Universal Cold Storage, Suja, Campbell’s, Evolution Fresh, Good Foods Group and West Liberty Foods.

“The formation of this council will help us take this technology to the next level,” says James Nicolas-Correa, director Hiperbaric USA, a supplier of HPP equipment.

“The new HPP council will develop industry best practices, establish guidelines for the Cold Pressure Verified label program and work to promote and grow HPP overall,” according to  Jeff Williams, CEO of Avure. “Processing transitioned from the lab to the production floor almost 20 years ago. Now, it is gaining greater use with food companies for a variety of products including meat, seafood, guacamole, juices, dressings, hummus, salsa, baby food and smoothies.”

Hiperbaric and Avure Technologies currently account for 99 percent of HPP equipment sales worldwide.

For food and beverage processors that are not ready to take the plunge into purchasing HPP equipment, toll processors offer the opportunity to try out and use the shelf-life increasing technology with various food and beverage products. Hiperbaric shows at least 14 toll processors on its USA map, and Avure’s Williams says his company now has 25 toll processors in the US. Some toll processors started out as food processors looking for a toll HPP processor, but finally settled on purchasing their own HPP equipment and renting out time on it when not processing their own products, thus becoming new toll processors.

Perfect Fit Meals (Houston, TX) got its start using a toll processor, but found it more convenient to set up its own HPP equipment.

“We are two companies,” says Jasmine Sutherland, president of Perfect Fit Meals and president of Texas Food Solutions. “There is Perfect Fit Meals; the second is Texas Food Solutions. When we went to market, we were using a toller; it wasn’t the greatest experience for us. So, we decided to invest and buy our own machines.”

After Sutherland purchased her first HPP equipment, business took off in both directions—her own RTE meal products and a new tolling service run by Texas Food Solutions.

“The process has snowballed so fast, and a lot of neighborhood factories that we were friendly with were saying, ‘If you buy a machine, can I buy some cycles off of you?’” says Sutherland. “Texas Food Solutions processes for Perfect Fit Meals and quite a few other producers. We also started a little niche business in helping people get into HPP.” Sutherland’s two companies have scored another first—the first RTE meals to undergo HPP to extend their shelf life.

When should a processor invest in HPP equipment?

“Investment in your own HPP system is driven by volume and strategy,” says Avure’s Williams. “Even the smallest production HPP machines would require 2-3 million pounds or bottles of production per year to consider the investment. The strategy component means: Does the company want to be in the manufacturing business? Just as many companies use co-packers to make their products, they will use tollers to HPP them.”

How much does HPP add to the price of a product?

“That’s a simple question with a very complicated answer,” says Williams. “There are a lot of factors that go into ‘what does HPP cost,’ and the answer is different for each product that utilizes the technology. A common answer you will hear is that it adds 15-20 cents per pound. This depends on the product, the package and the type of HPP machine utilized. Larger machines help reduce operating costs, which improve the calculation. Then, we need to consider what costs are being removed. Can antimicrobials used in the food be reduced or eliminated? Are there other processing steps that can be removed? Finally, when HPP provides extended shelf life, the amount of scrap (or shrink) seen in the grocery stores can be significantly reduced. Imagine the savings if scrap rates are reduced 2-3 percent.”

There is one important thing to remember, says Williams. HPP is not a sterilization process. HPP products remain in the refrigerated distribution chain—thus, they are not shelf-stable products. In addition, products suitable for HPP must have a fairly high water activity.

For more information on the CPC, visit www.coldpressure.org.

KEYWORDS: high pressure processing (HPP) pasteurization PMMI

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Wayne labs 200px
Wayne Labs has more than 30 years of editorial experience in industrial automation. He served as senior technical editor for I&CS/Control Solutions magazine for 18 years where he covered software, control system hardware and sensors/transmitters. Labs ran his own consulting business and contributed feature articles to Electronic Design, Control, Control Design, Industrial Networking and Food Engineering magazines. Before joining Food Engineering, he served as a senior technical editor for Omega Engineering Inc. Labs also worked in wireless systems and served as a field engineer for GE’s Mobile Communications Division and as a systems engineer for Bucks County Emergency Services. In addition to writing technical feature articles, Wayne covers FE’s Engineering R&D section.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    Global Organic Food & Beverage Market to Grow

    With a CAGR of 12.07%, Bonafide Research estimates this...
    Latest headlines
  • skilled MEP worker

    Predicting Food and Beverage Manufacturing Trends for 2024

    The two words that should be kept in mind are labor and...
    Automation
    By: Derrick Teal
  • cleaning and sanitation

    The basics of cleaning and sanitation in food plants

    Sanitation maintains or restores a state of cleanliness...
    Food Safety
    By: Richard F. Stier
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine
  • eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Customer Service

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

OT Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Food Manufacturing Facilities

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Understanding Impacts of OT Cybersecurity Events in Food Manufacturing

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

Food Plant Openings and Expansions April 2025

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

More Videos

Popular Stories

Conagra Logo

Conagra Brands to Sell Chef Boyardee Brand to Hometown Food Company

Salt

FDA to Amend Standards of Identity to Include Salt Substitutes

Vilter IHP in plant

Industrial Heat Pumps: Sustainable Energy Solutions for Now and the Future

CHECK OUT OUR NEW ESSENTIAL TOPICS

Alternative ProteinAutomationCleaning/SanitationFabulous Food Plants

Food SafetyMaintenance StrategiesOEE

PackagingSustainability

Events

June 5, 2025

Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. 

June 5, 2025

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

Recent Advances in Ready-to-Eat Food Technology

See More Products

Plant of the Year

Related Articles

  • HPP

    New HPP meat technology preserves color, extends shelf life

    See More
  • Hiperbaric

    Cold Pressure Council offers updated guidelines for HPP

    See More
  • Barcode scanning in grocery store

    Track and Trace Gets a Boost from GS1 12 and 128 Barcodes

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • Functionalized_Carbohydrate.gif

    Functionalizing Carbohydrates for Food Applications

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in food engineering with unparalleled insights and connections.

Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Food Master
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Food Engineering logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Engineering logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest Headlines
    • Manufacturing News
    • People & Industry News
    • Plant Openings
    • Recalls
    • Regulatory Watch
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Plant Products
    • New Retail Products
  • TOPICS
    • Alternative Protein
    • Automation
    • Cannabis
    • Cleaning | Sanitation
    • Fabulous Food Plants
    • Food Safety
    • Maintenance Strategies
    • OEE
    • Packaging
    • Sustainability
    • More
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Plant Construction Survey
    • Plant of the Year
    • Sustainable Plant of the Year
    • State of Food Manufacturing
    • Top 100 Food & Beverage Companies
  • MEDIA
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • FOOD MASTER
  • EVENTS
    • Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo
    • Industry Events
  • RESOURCES
    • eNewsletter
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • FE Store
    • Government Links
    • Industry Associations
    • Market Research
    • Classified Ads
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issue
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!