So what is good about HPP? Foods treated with HPP have a couple of key benefits. The first being an extended product shelf life and second, HPP is said to destroy harmful bacteria. So why all the overwhelming concern from everyone?
It turns out that while extending shelf life and killing potentially harmful bacteria, HPP also destroys all the friendly organisms that exist in raw food, these are also known as the good bacteria. These beneficial microorganisms are full of enzymes, they help keep colonies of pathogenic bacteria from multiplying quickly through a process called competitive inhibition (competing for growth). Once these friendly bacteria are destroyed during HPP, there is nothing to keep the pathogenic bacteria(bad bacteria) from growing out-of-control, if the product is re-contaminated during manufacturing or customer handling.
Say for instance, you leave your pet's food sitting out too long (come on, we've all done it, yeah even you!)chances are that if the food is treated with HPP it has a greater chance to make your pet sick than a food not treated with HPP. Why? Well when you leave raw meat out and allow it to warm to room temperature, you are essentially creating the optimal environment for bad bacteria to grow. Since the HPP treated food contains no friendly bacteria there is no way to combat the new outbreak of bad bacteria. Resulting in a contaminated food that will inevitably make your dog or cat sick. On the other hand, foods not treated with HPP would still have the good bacteria to put up a fight. The balance of good and bad is vital in keeping your pet's tummy from getting sick.
So let's review this quickly. Unprocessed raw food contains whole-food nutrition in a natural form that your pet's body can easily digest, absorb, metabolize, and eliminate. It contains beneficial bacteria, that not only aid digestion but also control the growth of pathogenic bacteria that could make your pet sick. Let's remember that cats and dogs have a gastrointestinal tract that is equipped to deal with traces of bad bacteria that are naturally present in raw meat. However, HPP in effect turns raw food into processed food,killing all the good and bad microorganisms simultaneously. Here in lies the potential for trouble.
At smallbatch we see no need for HPP because all of our ingredients are 100% traceable and locally sourced from farms and ranches that implement strict handling practices and testing procedures. We too have stringent processing procedures in place to alleviate any concerns of potential contamination. We process all of our diets in a USDA facility under strict regulation. We grind all of our meats at 27 degrees in a completely controlled environment. Once a patty is formed or a chub is filled the product is either put through a freeze tunnel or a into blast freezer. At no point in our processing procedure is there any possibility of a pathogenic bacteria outbreak. We feel it is our duty as a manufacturer of raw foods to be meticulous throughout the entire process. From the procuring of our ingredients to the processing of our formulas, smallbatch is dedicated to delivering the safest (real) raw food for dogs and cats!
