Bacterial endospores are a threat to food safety, due to their pronounced resistance against most antimicrobial treatments. Spores can effectively be inactivated by thermal processes; however, products treated in this manner show a distinct loss in quality as well as a tendency for the formation of unwanted and harmful compounds such as food processing contaminants. The increased demand for gentle and milder processed low acid foods gives further incentive to find an alternative to thermal-only processes. One of these alternatives is pressure enhanced sterilization (PES), which is an emerging sterilization technique in the processing domain of HPTS, currently lacking implementation in the food industry. High pressure thermal processing (HPTP) presents an exciting opportunity for innovation in the shelf- and chill-stable, low-acid food categories. Products with fresh-like attributes, extended shelf-life, and a reduced requirement for chemical preservatives and/or detrimental thermal processes, are examples of why HPTP is an attractive alternative to established approaches used for the preservation of low-acid foods. HPTP research dates back some 20 years; however, in particular engineering developments towards commercial-scale systems have been lacking; also, translation of fundamental research regarding spore inactivation and the formation of food processing contaminants to commercial-scale reality has been similarly absent. However, the technology offers significant benefits in terms of spore inactivation using reduced thermal intensity in food products, as well as minimized effects on sensory and nutritional profiles. To be successful, the technology needs to deliver safe and stable low-acid foods, which relies on the demonstration that food safety objectives related to the inactivation of spores can be achieved. Speaker: Robert Sevenich, PhD