Sous vide cooking is a method in which foods are thermally processed in vacuum packaging at lower temperatures for longer periods of time than traditional food manufacturing processes. The term sous vide is French for “under vacuum” and was perfected in the 1970s, launching a new take on food preparation. Manufacturing with sous vide is becoming very popular, and commercial sous vide equipment sales are projected to grow by more than $80 million from 2023 – 2028.
The vacuum packaging prior to thermal processing creates a new environment for microbes present in food matrices, and subsequently, presents new challenges. Packaging prior to processing presents benefits and risks from a food safety perspective that should be considered prior to implementing sous vide cooking methods.