Consumer Pressure Creates Demand In HPP Market

By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online

The markets for high pressure processing equipment and products are slated to see continued growth over the next few years thanks to consumer demand for low-impact processing

A report, HPP Market by Equipment Type, Application, Product Type, And Geography – Forecast to 2018, by Markets and Markets predicts the high pressure processing (HPP) equipment market will grow to $600 million by 2018. The market for products processed by HPP is projected to grow to about $12 billion by 2018, meaning HPP equipment market will experience ample demand to catalyze its growth.

HPP is a non-thermal food preservation technique used to preserve products that have high liquid content, such as meats, vegetables, and fruits. Products processed with HPP have a longer shelf life, which reduces the need for additional additives or preservatives. HPP also helps products retain their freshness and nutritional characteristics.

Throughout 2012, North America was the leading market for HPP equipment. Demand for HPP is primarily driven by its minimal effect on nutritional value of fresh products, food safety benefits, and various other functions of high pressure, such as shucking and meat tenderization. Consumer demand for foods that taste more natural and have undergone minimal processing has risen, and will likely continue to rise in coming years. Part of this demand includes the consumer desire for clean label foods, which are products prepared from ingredients that consumers can recognize and understand. Because HPP effectively processes food with a low impact on the food’s quality or nutrition, this type of processing — along with the equipment necessary to perform it — will continue to be demanded by many food manufacturers.

Does your company know how to adapt high pressure to its operations?

Key HPP equipment market players, life Avure Technologies and Hiperbaric Espana, focus on the expansion of new facilities and manufacturing units to grow global networks and availability of HPP equipment. The leading manufacturers of HPP products, like Hormel Foods, will need to adapt to consumer demand and invest in R&D to design and launch new products that take advantage of HPP technology.