Why HPP Is Key to Raw Pet Food Safety

Bobby Harris, COO of Instinct pet food, details the crucial role that HPP plays in safely growing the raw pet food category while silencing food safety skeptics.

Dog Cat Raw Pet Food Instinct
Instinct makes a wide variety of raw foods for dogs and cats, and relies on HPP to maintain its food safety standards.
Instinct Pet Food

One of the fastest-growing segments of high-pressure processing (HPP) today is raw pet food. As HPP technology evolves to remove foodborne pathogens in fresh and uncooked ingredients, so do the options for pet owners to feed their cats and dogs raw meals.

Processing raw pet food through HPP requires the same meticulous testing as human foods like guacamole, fresh juices, dips and deli salads before reaching store shelves. One pet food company committed to HPP as a food safety and nutrient preservation tool is St. Louis-based Instinct pet food. Positioning themselves as a premium brand of raw pet food, the company has carved a niche in this growing segment through diligence in applying HPP every step of the way. 

Instinct’s COO, Bobby Harris, addressed attendees at the Cold Pressure Council’s annual conference in Chicago, and explained his company’s strategy for using HPP to ensure safe production of their raw pet food. Here are some of the highlights from Harris’ session, which are applicable to any company looking to manufacture raw pet food. 

Why raw? 

Harris cited a University of Helsinki study of more than 4,000 dogs that determined raw foods have a higher nutrition value and can reduce incidences of allergies and illness in canines. The study concluded that if just 20% of a dog’s diet is raw food, the animal will start to realize those health benefits. Conversely, if a dog’s diet is less than 20% raw foods—replaced by heat-treated, commercially produced dry kibble, for example—the risk of allergies and illness increases. 

“We’re really riding on the backs of this study, showing some pretty definitive outcomes that feeding raw has advantageous nutritional benefits, as well as some disease mitigation,” said Harris. “So, we’ve been committed to this journey since the inception of the company.” 

While the University of Helsinki study shows the benefits of raw pet food, many in the veterinarian community, according to Harris, are skeptical of raw pet food, primarily because of the increased risk of pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli, Campylobacter, Yersinia, and others in raw meats.

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Harris said this is where HPP enters the process. HPP extends the shelf life of fresh and perishable foods by applying carefully calibrated pressure to a product—often already packaged—which destroys bacteria and pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. HPP can add between 90 to 120 extra days of shelf life depending on the product, without altering the texture, flavor, or color. For Instinct, some varieties of its raw pet food go through HPP before being further processed to freeze-dried.

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