Cargill Bows Fressure Ground Beef Patties

Cargill has improved on existing food processing technology to develop Fressure fresh ground beef patties, which have a shelf life twice as long as that of traditional fresh burgers, offer enhanced food safety, and provide optimal flavor and a consistently high-quality eating experience. The company is employing the patent-pending process to produce fresh ground beef patties for the foodservice market.

Taking its cue from the pressure system technology that revolutionized the fresh guacamole business, Cargill worked to find a way to extend the shelf life of ground-beef patties from 21 to 42 days while maintaining optimal flavor and reducing bacteria that cause foodborne illness and spoilage. The completely natural process uses no high temperatures, chemicals or irradiation, and retains the nutrient value and freshness of the ground beef.

“The process enabling Cargill to produce Fressure patties is a technological breakthrough that allows us to provide our customers, as well as consumers, with a premium ground beef option that is superior, in a number of ways, to any in the marketplace today,” noted Brent Wolke, VP for Cargill's Wichita, Ka.-based foodservice meat business. “Ground beef customers told us they wanted a product with a longer shelf life that does not sacrifice the quality, flavor, texture and eating experience consumers pay for when they want a good hamburger. We were able to meet those objectives and achieve enhanced food safety benefits by perfecting our process after years of research and development. This is an example of Cargill's commitment to investing in advanced technologies at our processing plants, and our focus on food safety innovation. This is a win-win for those who sell, prepare and eat burgers as part of their diet."

Cargill’s process has won kudos from food safety experts. According Prof. Michael P. Doyle at Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia in Griffin, “High-pressure processing of foods is a well-established treatment to mitigate contamination by harmful microbes such as Salmonella, E.coli O157: H7 and Listeria, without adversely affecting the product's taste and quality.”

Fressure ground beef patties are being produced at Cargill's Columbus, Neb., meat-processing plant.

For more information, visit
www.cargill.com/products/foodservice/beef/brands/fressure-fresh-ground-beef/index.jsp.