The Soup Spoon also opened its high-pressure processing facility for food and beverage industry practitioners in January, said to be the first in Singapore.
Singapore- The firm adopted high-pressure processing technology – it helps food products stay fresh longer, which means firms have exporting options – with its first machine last November costing about $2 million.
Not only has it increased the shelf life of soup packs from three weeks to about three months, The Soup Spoon, which has 26 outlets here, has created a range of ready-to-eat meals that can last for 28 days in chilled conditions.
Managing director Andrew Chan said, “We’ve expanded our retail channels locally and most recently, managed to export overseas, to Hong Kong’s premium supermarket.”
The Soup Spoon also opened its high-pressure processing facility for food and beverage industry practitioners in January, said to be the first in Singapore.
The Soup Spoon’s efforts in educating the industry about the technology and increasing productivity are part of a multi-agency effort involving Workforce Singapore (WSG), Spring Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic, that began in March last year.
This LED project, supported by WSG, has led to food companies such as TCGC, Golden Bridge, The Seafood Company and Joe & Dough exploring new ways to extend shelf life for existing products, and tap R&D for opportunities in expanding product range. The Soup Spoon, for instance, has saved manpower and resources with the product development time cut by 50 per cent, and reduced employee overtime hours.
Mr Chan said the firm’s main challenge when adopting high-pressure processing technology was tweaking the recipes and finding out what food items worked in the process, but the long-term results meant the R&D has paid off.
The Soup Spoon’s experience also encourages other firms that visit its facility to innovate.
