Hiperbaric roadshow spotlights HPP for pet food safety
Bottom line
Version 1 — Brief
Hiperbaric has brought its Global Roadshow to Stillwater, Oklahoma, partnering with Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for a one-day workshop on high pressure processing, or HPP. The September 17 event centered on HPP science, food safety, commercialization, and hands-on demonstrations using OSU’s newly installed Hiperbaric 55 system, with programming aimed in part at pet food manufacturers evaluating the technology for pathogen control, shelf-life extension, and product development. OSU’s new HPP capability follows a broader $7 million state-supported modernization effort at FAPC, which university and company leaders say is meant to expand in-state validation and applied research capacity. (ag-events.okstate.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the roadshow is a reminder that HPP is moving further into the pet food mainstream, especially in raw and minimally processed categories where microbial risk remains a persistent concern. FDA guidance recognizes HPP as a potential process control, but says processors using it for animal food should validate pressure-time combinations for the specific product, and AAHA notes that HPP can reduce bacterial loads but does not make raw diets sterile. That nuance matters as clinics counsel pet parents about raw feeding, particularly against a backdrop of continuing FDA recalls tied to Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in pet food during 2025 and 2026. (fda.gov)
What to watch: Watch for whether OSU’s new HPP program produces publishable validation data or service offerings that help more pet food companies bring safer refrigerated or raw-style products to market. (hiperbaric.com)
Version 2 — Full analysis
Hiperbaric’s latest Global Roadshow stop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, put high pressure processing in front of pet food and protein manufacturers at a moment when food safety, shelf life, and regulatory validation are all rising priorities. Hosted September 17 by Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center, in partnership with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the workshop combined technical presentations with a hands-on look at OSU’s newly installed Hiperbaric 55 system. Organizers positioned the event as a practical introduction for companies weighing whether HPP fits their products, operations, and compliance needs. (ag-events.okstate.edu)
The workshop builds on several years of university-industry collaboration around HPP in pet food. Nebraska and Hiperbaric previously hosted a 2023 workshop focused on raw pet foods and treats, drawing participants from 41 companies and organizations, including major pet food manufacturers and raw-feeding brands. Oklahoma State’s role is newer, but significant: in February 2026, Hiperbaric said OSU had installed a Hiperbaric 55 system as part of a $7 million state-supported modernization initiative, adding non-thermal processing capacity for research, validation, and commercialization support. OSU has said it is one of only three universities in the U.S. to house a Hiperbaric food chamber. (hiperbaric.com)
At the Stillwater event, the agenda extended beyond a basic equipment showcase. OSU’s event listing said the program would cover HPP science and principles, value-added applications in meat and pet food processing, food safety strategies for controlling Listeria monocytogenes, research on value recovery in dark-cutting beef, and economic analysis tied to commercialization. OSU Extension described the workshop as especially relevant for meat, poultry, seafood, pet food, and ready-to-eat manufacturers, as well as food safety and product development teams. Shade Hughes, FAPC’s HPP program manager, said processors often need to see how HPP works with real products before deciding whether it fits their operation. (ag-events.okstate.edu)
The underlying pitch is straightforward: HPP offers a non-thermal way to reduce pathogens while preserving refrigerated, minimally processed product characteristics. FDA’s preventive controls guidance for animal food describes HPP as a batch process in which packaged food is immersed in a pressurizing fluid and treated for a defined time under high pressure. But the same guidance also underscores the limits: publicly available animal-food data remain limited, and manufacturers relying on HPP to control pathogens will likely need product-specific validation studies. FDA also notes that bacterial spores are more pressure-resistant, meaning refrigeration or freezing may still be needed where sporeformers such as Clostridium botulinum are a foreseeable hazard. (fda.gov)
That caution helps explain why HPP continues to attract interest, but not blanket acceptance, in veterinary nutrition and food safety circles. AAHA’s nutrition guidance says raw diets increase the risk of pathogen transmission to pets and people, and adds that while some companies use HPP to reduce bacterial numbers, an HPP claim does not mean the food is sterile. In other words, HPP may improve the safety profile of raw or lightly processed diets, but it does not erase the counseling challenges veterinarians face when discussing handling risk, household exposure, or suitability for immunocompromised people and animals. (aaha.org)
Recent recall activity keeps that issue current. FDA’s animal-veterinary recall listings show multiple 2026 pet food recalls involving Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes, including products from Northwest Naturals, Oma’s Pride, and Raaw Energy. FDA also posted a 2025 recall notice for Viva Raw involving Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Those cases are not evidence that HPP has failed broadly; rather, they reinforce the market pressure on raw and fresh pet food manufacturers to adopt, validate, and document stronger pathogen-control steps. That is the gap Hiperbaric, OSU, and Nebraska appear to be trying to address through workshops, pilot-scale access, and applied research support. (fda.gov)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story sits at the intersection of nutrition trends and food safety reality. Consumer demand for minimally processed and raw-style diets isn’t going away, and more manufacturers are looking for technologies that preserve product identity without heat treatment. A regional university center with HPP capability could make validation work more accessible for pet food companies, including smaller brands that lack in-house infrastructure. If that leads to better pathogen control data, more consistent processing standards, or stronger client-facing safety claims, veterinarians may eventually have better evidence to use in conversations with pet parents. But the current takeaway is still measured: HPP is an important tool, not a complete answer. (hiperbaric.com)
What to watch: The next signals will be whether OSU and its partners publish product-specific findings in pet food, expand fee-for-service validation and commercialization support, or help shape best practices for HPP use in raw and refrigerated animal diets over the next 12 to 24 months. (hiperbaric.com)
Common questions
What did the Oklahoma State workshop cover?
It covered HPP science and principles, value-added applications in meat and pet food processing, food safety strategies for controlling Listeria monocytogenes, research on value recovery in dark-cutting beef, and economic analysis tied to commercialization.Why are pet food manufacturers interested in HPP?
The article says HPP is a non-thermal way to reduce pathogens while preserving refrigerated, minimally processed product characteristics, which makes it relevant for raw and minimally processed pet food.Does HPP make raw pet food sterile?
No. AAHA says HPP can reduce bacterial numbers, but an HPP claim does not mean the food is sterile.What does FDA say about using HPP for animal food?
FDA says processors using HPP for animal food should validate pressure-time combinations for the specific product, and that product-specific validation studies will likely be needed.