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The FDA has long had a problem with raw meat pet foods, citing them as unsafe due to the potential for bacterial contamination. As a result of FDA attempts to interfere with the raw pet food industry, many raw pet food manufacturers have begun using HPP or High Pressure Processing to sterilize their foods without cooking them.¹
High pressure can inactivate and kill bacteria. This is one of the main benefits of this process. Very little damage to proteins, depending on the pressure, occurs during HPP. At pressures above 400 MPa, a small amount of protein damage in meat is suspected as there occurs a lightening of the meat's color. For the most part, however, HPP does not appreciably alter the nutrient content of raw foods.³ This is in contrast to cooking, which can radically alter the nutrient content of meats. While HPP effectively kills bacteria, it is still being determined whether it is effective on viruses.⁴ HPP used under certain circumstances may kill prions, such as BSE or Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, but using it for this purpose may not be practical.⁵