Cargill Introduces Fressure™ Ground Beef Patties Using a Patent-Pending Process to Double Shelf Life, Enhance Food Safety, Preserve Flavor

WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cargill has evolved and perfected an existing food processing technology to create Fressure™ fresh ground beef patties, which have double the shelf life of traditional fresh burgers, benefit from enhanced food safety while also providing optimal flavor and a consistent high-quality eating experience for consumers. Cargill is employing this company developed, patent-pending process technology to produce fresh ground beef patties for the foodservice market. The result will be that Fressure™ ground beef patties provide foodservice customers with value-added fresh products to better meet their needs in a competitive marketplace.

Evaluating pressure system technology similar to the type that revolutionized the fresh guacamole business for the Avocado industry, Cargill focused research efforts on making high-pressure processing commercially viable for ground beef patties. Those efforts were inspired by the need to find an improved premium ground beef patty solution for customers, resulting in the doubling of shelf life from 21 to 42 days, preservation of the beef's optimal flavor and diminishing bacteria that cause food borne illness and spoilage. It is an entirely natural process that does not use high temperatures, chemicals or irradiation, while retaining the nutrient value and freshness of the ground beef.

"The process enabling Cargill to produce Fressure™ patties is a technological break-through 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," said Brent Wolke, vice president for Cargill's Wichita, Kansas-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."

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

"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," stated Professor Michael P. Doyle, Ph.D., Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia. "I applaud Cargill's leadership in applying this technology to ground beef to raise the level of ground beef safety to a new industry standard."

More information about Fressure™ can be found online at:

http://www.cargill.com/products/foodservice/beef/brands/fressure-fresh-ground-beef/index.jsp

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.

SOURCE Cargill