Universal opens the doors on its HPP facility
While HPP, a technique that uses extremely high pressures to process foods, holds a small segment of the market, its share is growing; intelligence firm Markets and Markets estimates the sales of HPP-treated food will more than double from 2013 to 2018, to hit about $14m.
Open house
HPP technology provider Universal Pasteurization (UPC) is opening the doors of its Villa Rica, Georgia, facility to give curious food professionals the chance to see for themselves the possibilities and capabilities of the processing method.
“The goal is for attendees to learn about the benefits of HPP, the applicability of their own products, and the requirements to become ready for HPP,” Glenn Hewson, senior vice president of global marketing for UPC, told FoodProductiondaily.com “Then, they’ll be able to meet with companies that have already made the journey.”
Scheduled April 8, the one-day event will treat attendees to a tour of the plant, plus lunch consisting of a selection of HPP foods. In addition, staff will outline how HPP can aid in Food Safety Modernization Act compliance, and how the technique has worked for its food and beverage clients.
Geographical edge
Hewson said the Villa Rica UPC facility is the only HPP outsourcing/tolling facility located in the Southeast. Because it serves the entire Southeastern US, he said, it offers companies in the area a key advantage.
“For companies currently transporting their products to other HPP centers, this will relieve them of the freight costs going to and from a distant location,” he said.
Hewson added the facility is near the Atlanta airport, convenient to Savannah’s ports (for companies importing products into the US for processing), and has redundant HPP equipment to prevent downtime. More information is available on the UPC website, www.universalhpp.com.
