Amazon is looking at using technology that was first developed for the US military, as it aims to find its footing in the $700 billion US grocery industry.
The online retail giant will explore using microwave assisted thermal sterilisation, otherwise known as MATS, developed by researchers at Washington State University.
The technology involves placing sealed packages of food in pressurised water and heating them with microwaves for several minutes, producing prepared meals that do not need refrigeration, meaning the dishes would be easy to stockpile and ship. Under this method, food produced will have a shelf life of around a year, making them a perfect fit for Amazon’s storage and delivery business model.
This technology move, if it comes to fruition, will see a major move from Amazon as it aims to capitalise on the growing trend for consumers’ desires for quick and easy meal options at home.
This news comes a month after Amazon soft launched a meal kit delivery service, which according to GeekWire, started offering 17 different meals to existing users of AmazonFresh, which has been delivering groceries to customers’ homes for a decade.
Delivering meals would complement the company’s AmazonFresh service, while the recent $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods adds weight to the claims that Amazon are looking into the possibility of having physical stores, with the intention of delving deeper into becoming a conventional food retailer.
The company has already trialled a brick-and-mortar convenience store, dubbed Amazon Go, which would offer payment through smartphones and touchscreens in store.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024