The CEO of the Zhuhai-based Dantin Group, Ned Gao, shared his insights into the transformative effect that the sous vide cooking method is having on the processed food sector during a breakfast talk hosted by the France Macau Chamber of Commerce (FMCC) this morning.
Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, is a cooking process that sees food in vacuum-sealed plastic bags immersed in low-temperature water at a constant rate until it is cooked. The procedure is particularly good for maintaining the flavour of ingredients and retaining their nutritional value.
The technique is often too time consuming to execute in domestic kitchens, but for restaurants, sous vide food can be a huge time and money saver. Gao pointed out that the cooking method results in more efficient kitchens and a reduction in labour costs, as “the food is…already processed in the factory [and] delivered to the restaurant.”
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Gao stated that Dantin was currently collaborating with Cuisine Solutions, a French company that has been a leader in the production of sous vide cooked food on an industrial scale. With its help, Dantin intends to introduce sous vide processed food to the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Greater China, where the market potential, he says, remains untapped.
During the talk, the entrepreneur presented data that revealed that the Chinese processed food market was worth 428 billion yuan at the end of 2023. He said that ”it is expected to double in three year’s time,” although it still accounts for “less than 20 percent of the entire food service industry.” Consumer preference for convenient, ready-made food and awareness of healthy eating will also be key drivers of the market, he noted.
Gao said that in the initial stages, he plans to import the sous vide food from Cuisine Solutions’ factory in Thailand to Macao and Hong Kong and “build up the connection with hotels, casinos” and other clients in the SARs. In the future, the company intends to break into the national processed food market, especially through popular retailers such as Sam’s Club, and establish its own factories in the country.
At the end of the presentation, audience members raised a number of questions, including the environmental impact caused by the cooking method’s use of plastic bags. In response, Gao said that their business partner was developing compostable bags, which could be ready “in the next three years.”
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With respect to concerns about microplastic contamination from cooking with plastic in water, the Dantin CEO noted that the technology had undergone rigorous testing over the years, especially in the US, where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “tested every aspect of the safety of using plastic bags in the water” and found the cooking method “passed all the tests and exams.”
Previous FMCC presentations have also touched upon the topic of food, including its aesthetics and relationship with social media.
The next breakfast talk is set to be held on 27 March.
