Stampede Culinary Partners Inc. has announced its first benchmark study on the state of commercial sous vide, conducted by private research firm Schaefer. This study, the largest published research project on commercial sous vide, surveyed over 1,000 leaders and key decision-makers in the restaurant, retail, hospitality, health care and entertainment industries.

Sous vide provides relief for the foodservice industry, as the precooked food preparation method cuts down significantly on cooking time, equipment needs and staff required to maintain the same food production levels.

"You're going to see sous vide products—especially meat and other proteins— explode as restaurant and retail operators continue to look for ways to simplify and optimize labor because it takes so much of the guesswork out of the equation," said a senior food scientist, R&D lead from the study.

Survey participants were limited to decision-makers in their companies including directors, managers, senior directors, vice presidents, EVP/SVP and C-suite executives. Companies represented included multiple multibillion-dollar organizations, Fortune 500 companies and household name brands such as Yum, Target, 7-Eleven, Hyatt, Universal, Kraft Heinz and others. The findings from both qualitative and quantitative research underscores the value of commercial sous vide as a product that guarantees quality and safety across these foodservice sectors, while also aiding in the struggle against the national labor and skills shortage.

"We are focused on our customers' success and responding to their needs, and it's difficult to do that without adequate information. There was an absence of information about the sous vide category, how it is performing, how it would grow, and what it all means in the various segments of the food space that we support," said Brock Furlong, president and CEO of Stampede Culinary Partners. "We decided that we needed to go out there and get real facts to inform ourselves to be able to effectively serve our customers in real-time. I think what's probably most exciting is the impact it's going to have for solving challenges in labor and creating meaningful solutions in spaces like healthcare." 

Sous vide is chosen throughout the food industry for providing a high-quality option with consistency in both flavor and food safety. It also addresses a major challenge in the industry today: labor shortages. Research indicates that 40% of open positions in food services stay open. There has been a consistent average quit rate above 4.5% in the foodservice industry since 2021. This persistent staffing shortage and the increased burden that it places on remaining employees causes overwhelming burnout for staff. This can be seen in several sectors, including hospital cafeterias tasked with serving large numbers of patients and their loved ones daily.

"Everyone is limited now on resources, especially labor. It forces us to plan ahead and to try to de-risk as much as possible," said a senior food safety quality assurance manager in the interview portion of the benchmark study.

Of those surveyed for the benchmark, over 70% said they have significantly increased their purchasing of sous vide products since 2020. The number-one reason for increasing sous vide purchases was to combat ongoing staffing shortages and labor costs. The next two highest-ranked reasons were to improve overall food quality, consistency and taste, followed by increasing operational efficiency and profitability.

The State of Sous Vide 2023 research report is available to the public at https://get.sousvide.report/.

Source: Stampede Culinary Partners Inc.