In the coming months, it looks like you'll be able to purchase ground beef at your local grocery store that you can keep in your fridge, rather than your freezer, for as long as a month.
It's thanks to a relatively new method of pressurized packaging which has recently been given the green light for use by Health Canada — a process which uses "extreme pressure" in the packaging process that essentially crushes microorganisms such as listeria, e. coli and salmonella — all while maintaining the flavor and texture of your meat.
The process is called hydrostatic pressure processing (HPP), and it's been in use for years in the U.S. It involves running food products through a machine which pressurizes the items during packaging, and kill off any potential contaminants.
"The technology itself is not new, but the adoption of the technology in Canada is new," says Sylvain Charlebois, a professor of food distribution and policy at Halifax's Dalhousie University. "For years, we've actually been able, as Canadians, to buy beef coming from the United States in these new packages, but it's never been Canadian beef."
The technology also promises to cut down on food waste, and the need for preservatives.
An information campaign touting the virtues of this new technology is expected to begin in Quebec's grocery stores by the middle of next month.