In the past two years, HPP beverages have experienced a period of rapid growth! 

The HPP beverages, which were once labeled as "niche high-end", have continued to be highly popular in the new retail channels. In early 2025, Hema launched HPP organic Red Fuji apple juice; at the end of 2024, Sam's Club put on the market a kale compound fruit and vegetable juice processed by the HPP method, with monthly sales exceeding 200,000 units; the 1L bottle of 100% HPP kale juice from PaoPao Supermarket has become one of the fastest-growing categories on the platform... The potential of the HPP market in China is constantly expanding. 

And now, this trend has blown into the meat products industry. 

At the end of March this year, Ding Dong Market's own brand "Ding Dong Good Food Light" began to focus on the HPP meat product market, launching three new products - Ding Dong Good Food Light HPP Original Flavor Light Enjoy Chicken Breast Slices, Grilled Chicken Breast Strips (Black Pepper Flavor), and HPP Angus Beef Patties. On April 3rd, HPP Reduced Salt Ready-to-Eat Beef Cubes were also put on sale. 

In addition, convenience store systems such as Roson and Costco have also introduced a variety of HPP meat products; meat product manufacturers such as Shengcube, Xincheng Food, and Chunjiang Food are also accelerating the layout of HPP-sterilized meat products. The industry is entering an upgraded era of "clean labels" and "safety redefinition". 

01

Dingdong, Roson, Costco

Retail giants eye HPP meat products 

On March 24th, Ding Dong Market's own brand "Ding Dong Good Food Light" began to enter the "HPP meat product market segment", launching three new products: HPP original flavor light enjoyment chicken breast slices, grilled chicken breast strips (black pepper flavor), and HPP Angus beef patties. On April 3rd, HPP low-salt ready-to-eat beef squares were also put on sale. 

It is reported that the first batch of 3 HPP meat products launched on the market achieved sales of about 5 times that of similar new products launched during the same period without any investment in resources. 

Among them, the newly launched ready-to-eat beef cubes with reduced salt have only beef, bone broth and edible salt as ingredients. With a clean and simple ingredient list and rich nutritional content, the product has achieved daily sales of over a thousand units, selling out immediately and exceeding expectations in terms of sales volume upon its launch. 

Not only Dingdong Maicai has started to focus on "HPP meat products", but many domestic new retail systems have also begun to enter this industry. It is known that in January 2026, Costco launched "Shanpin's Zhenfu Cube" HPP clean-label beef; while Lawson even put HPP American-style grilled beef on the shelves in 2025, which was also from the "Shanpin's Zhenfu Cube" brand. 

02

Meat product enterprises have taken the lead in entering the market

The "HPP sterilization" model is booming 

Not only is there a frenzy of "competition" in the retail market, but food ingredient enterprises are also actively developing HPP meat products. 

In the foreign market, Heinz and Espuña were among the earlier enterprises to introduce HPP meat products. Some data show that the HPP-treated Natural Choice series of cooked meat products launched by Heinz reduced the use of preservatives by over 40%; while Espuña applied HPP in the curing and cooking of meat, which extended the shelf life by over 45% and maintained good sensory quality. 

In the domestic market, companies such as Henan Shangpin (Shanping Cube), Xincheng Food, Panzhongyu, and Chunjiang Food have also made arrangements for HPP meat products. 

On January 29th this year, Henan Shangpin, in collaboration with relevant units in the industrial chain, jointly drafted the "Technical Specification for Cold Sterilization (HPP) of Ultra-high Pressure Meat Products", and the group standard was officially implemented. This standard is a specialized technical specification for the ultra-high pressure cold sterilization technology in the processing field of cooked meat products in China, providing clear technical guidance and process criteria for related fields. 

The "Shanpin" brand of Henan Province's "Shanping Cube" began selling products such as HPP American-style grilled beef slices and grass-fed Angus beef patties in channels like Roson and JD.com from 2025, emphasizing "0 preservatives and clean label". In January 2026, it collaborated with Costco to launch products such as HPP finger-licking spicy beef strips and HPP Lanzhou-style beef slices. 

Spring River Food applies HPP technology to produce Western-style low-temperature meats and Chinese-style braised and marinated products, such as pickled chili duck feet and other snack-style marinated snacks; enterprises like Xin Cheng Food and Pan Zhong Yu also use HPP technology to process braised meat products. 

03

"HPP Sterilization Technology"

What are the differences from traditional sterilization techniques? 

Why do new retail enterprises and food ingredient enterprises have such a strong interest in "HPP sterilization technology"? What are the differences between this technology and the traditional heat processing sterilization technology for meat products? 

Firstly, from a technical perspective, the HPP sterilization technology involves sealing the food in flexible packaging and subjecting it to pressure sterilization at a temperature range of 5-20℃. This process does not involve any chemical additives, making the product more in line with the "clean label" industry trend. In contrast, the traditional heat-heating processing method typically involves heating at a temperature range of 72-140℃, which is more likely to cause protein denaturation and microbial inactivation. 

Secondly, in terms of nutrition, with the upgrade of sterilization technology, HPP processing hardly damages heat-sensitive nutrients, and can preserve natural pigments and flavor substances intact. Proteins and muscle fibers are not damaged by high temperatures either, resulting in a more similar taste to the fresh state. However, the traditional heat heating method is more likely to destroy the nutrients in meat products. 

Furthermore, in terms of flavor, HPP can preserve the original tenderness and moisture of the meat, without causing a dry and hard texture; while thermal processing can easily cause the meat to become tough, and chemical treatment may also affect the meat's elasticity. 

Finally, in terms of application scenarios, HPP is mainly used for high-end chilled meat, various fat-reduced ready-to-eat meat products, and fermented meat products containing active peptides; while thermal processing is commonly used for mass-consumption cooked meat products and canned foods. 

The most important thing is that HPP is a purely physical process. It can ensure food safety and extend the shelf life without the need to add any chemical additives. This truly achieves the goal of "clean ingredients". 

04

"HPP" targets clean labels

Sparking a wave of industrial upgrading 

The new ingredient believes that the expansion of HPP technology application cases in the meat products industry has, to a certain extent, promoted the industry's transformation from the traditional model of "high-temperature heat processing, reliance on additives" to the high-end model of "cold sterilization, clean label, and nutrient retention". This is mainly reflected in the following aspects. 

Break through food safety issues and restore the industry's bottom line. HPP, through physical cold sterilization, can effectively solve the most challenging foodborne pathogen problems in the traditional meat products industry, especially for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat products. This directly reduces the risks of product recalls and food safety crises, minimizes the brand and financial losses of enterprises, and establishes a more solid safety barrier for the industry. 

Driving meat enterprises to transform towards "clean labels". The HPP technology enables meat product manufacturers to maintain product flavor and shelf life without using chemical preservatives and excessive additives. This feature precisely caters to consumers' pursuit of "clean ingredients and few additives" in healthy foods, helping enterprises develop high-value health product lines. 

Break through the shelf life restrictions and extend the shelf life. Short shelf life is the main obstacle restricting the cross-regional and export business of meat products. The HPP technology can significantly extend the freshness period of products under refrigeration conditions (with cases showing it can reach up to 126 days), while the quality remains unaffected. This enables enterprises to expand their logistics radius, explore the national and even global markets, and optimize the market space structure of the industry. 

Build stronger industry barriers and achieve value iteration. Currently, China's standards in HPP equipment and processes are constantly being broken through, serving as a powerful tool for enterprises to build high-end and differentiated competition. By producing popular products (such as ready-to-eat chicken breasts for fitness and high-end low-temperature ham), high brand premiums are formed. Dingdong Maicai's HPP meat products achieved sales five times that of similar new products in the first week of their launch, indicating that the market is voting with real money for technological upgrades! 

Observation of New Ingredients: 

The significance of HPP technology goes far beyond the improvement of sterilization efficiency. It represents a revolutionary shift in the industrial paradigm from "high-temperature heat processing and reliance on additives" to "cold sterilization, clean labels, and nutrient preservation". 

When food safety no longer comes at the expense of flavor, and when the extension of shelf life no longer relies on chemical preservatives, the meat products industry has finally gained the opportunity to truly embrace the consumption trends of "health" and "natural". The competing expansions of Dingdong, Roson, and Costco, as well as the accelerated entries of Xianfu and Chunjiang Food, are all reflections of enterprises' acute responses to the upgrading of consumption. They also represent an epitome of China's manufacturing moving from following to leading in standards. 

HPP not only makes meat products safer, cleaner and more delicious, but also enables the industry to shift from "selling products" to "selling trust". Technology will eventually take a back seat, but the quality dividends and brand value it releases will become the most solid barrier for the meat products industry in the next decade.