It is common practice to dispense cheese sauce, ketchup, mustard, and other flowable food products from a package (e.g., a flexible bag or other similar container) using a pump-like dispensing device. In order to prevent bacterial growth in low acid food products, such as cheese sauce, those products should be maintained at or above an elevated temperature (e.g., 140° F.) after the package is opened.
One type of dispensing device widely used for low acid products has a water jacket which surrounds a large part of the package, and water in the water jacket is heated to the required temperature of the food product. A dispensing valve is typically coupled to the package to selectively dispense the flowable food product from the package. Such a dispensing valve is intended to be reused, and therefore should be cleaned after being removed from an empty package. Since the valve is intended to be reused, it is typically manufactured from a food-grade engineered resin capable of withstanding many heating and cooling cycles without substantially degrading due to the acidity of the food product. However, such a food-grade engineered resin is expensive, and the design of conventional valves incorporates multiple O-rings and additional components that increase the cost of the valves.