Chapter 4 Food Product Flow. Foodservice Organizations, 5th edition Spears & Gregoire ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Chapter 4

Food Product Flow

©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Foodservice Organizations, 5th editionSpears & Gregoire

Flow of Food

Alternate paths that food and menu items may follow Initiating with receiving & ending with

service to the customerAimed at increasing productivity, decreasing

cost, or strengthening control of operationsChanges occurring in food throughout all

stages must be controlled to ensure quality & safety of finished products



Flow of Food



Types of Foodservices

Increasing labor costs & shortage of highly skilled employeesUsing new forms of food with built-in

convenience or labor-saving features4 types of foodservice operations

Conventional or traditionalReady preparedCommissaryAssembly / serve



Conventional Foodservice

Foods are purchased in various stages of preparation for individual operation

Production, distribution, & service are completed on same premises

Following production, foods are held hot or refrigerated to be served as soon as possible

Proportioned meats, baked goods, & fresh, canned, frozen, or preprocessed fruits and veggies







Menu items are prepared near to service time to assure quality

Hot-holding conditions affected by temperature, humidity, & length of holding timeNutritional & sensory quality can be

adversely affected




May be distributed to adjacent or nearby serving area (cafeteria or dining room)

Hospitals or healthcare facilities – food served on traysCentralized service – individual patient trays

assembled in or close to production areaDecentralized service – distributed in bulk

quantities for tray assembly close to patients’ rooms (galley in hospital wing)



Ready Prepared Foodservice

Evolved because of increased labor costs & shortage of skilled personnel

Menu items produced & chilled or frozen until heated for service later

Produced for inventory & subsequent withdrawal

Readily available at any time for final assembly & heating for service




Center-of-the-plateMenu items & hot veggies require 2 phases

of heat processing in ready prepared foodservice

1st during production2nd after storage

In some operations, reheated in bulk prior to assembly of customer meals







Cook-chill – partially cooked, rapidly chilled, held in chilled storage, & reheated just prior to serviceUse remains limited throughout industry

Cook-freeze - partially cooked, rapidly frozen, held in freezer storage, & reheated just prior to serviceFrozen from 2 weeks to 3 months




Sous vide – sealing raw, fresh food items in plastic pouches to allow chilled storage & then cooking in boiling water prior to serviceOnly licensed food processors can perform

sous vide process Improper handling can cause

microbiological health hazards




Special recipe formulations needed because of changes during chilling or freezing of food

Development of off-flavors may be problem; controlled bySubstituting stable ingredientsGreater control of storage time,

temperature, & packagingAdding stabilizers




ChallengesRetention of microbiological, nutritional, &

sensory qualities of foodCritical control points for cooling & reheating

extremely importantIf time & temperature standards not

followed, discard product




Adopted to reduce labor expenditures & use staff more effectively

Production designed to meet future rather than immediate needs

Production personnel can be scheduled for regular hours (no early/late shifts)

Does not require as many highly skilled employees



Commissary Foodservice

Centralized procurement & production facilities with distribution of prepared menu items to several remote areas for final preparation & service

Developed due to technological innovations & design of sophisticated foodservice equipment

Menu items delivered hot or cold/hold & served, some chill or freeze




Foods purchased have little or no processing Generally purchased in large quantities

Advantages: Large-scale purchasing Increased supplier competition & cooperation Volume discounts

Operational advantages include centralized receiving, storage, & inventory control




Equipment for preprocessing & production different from conventional foodservices

Large central units designed like food industry operations

Require major modifications of recipes & food preparation techniques

Menu items may be stored in bulk or in individual portions




Packaging & storage challengingVarious packaging materials used

Such as individual pouches or disposable serving dishes

Specialized equipment required for packaging, storing, & distributing

Preserving microbiological, nutritional, & sensory qualities during holding and heating can be problem




Adopted in operations in which service centers are remote from production unit

Reduce duplication of production, labor, & equipment

Space requirements can be minimizedHigh initial costs, purchase of

transportation equipment, & operating costs are concerns in evaluating cost-effectiveness




Especially suitable for unique situationsLong been used in schools

Many have combined with conventional foodservice

Large secondary schools serve as “base kitchens” – transport to elementary schools

School districts built large central commissaries in which food products prepared, chilled in bulk, then transported to schools throughout the district




AdvantagesEquipment & personnel operate at high

efficiency rate during day with no idle periods

Often operates 8 hours a day, 5 days a weekWith greater number of dependent service

centers, operation may be extended to multiple shifts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Must have highly skilled personnel



Assembly / Serve Foodservice

Purchased pre-prepared & require minimal cooking before service

Food products brought into operation with maximum degree of processingFresh, frozen, & dried items

Only storage, assembly, heating, & service functions commonly performed in these foodservicesReduces labor and equipment costs




3 market forms of foods predominantly used in these foodservice operationsBulk – requires portioning before or after

heating within foodservice operationProportioned – requires assembly & heatingPreplated – require only heating for

distribution & service, most easily handled




Patient trays are assembled & food items reheated in gallery before service Eliminates need for central kitchen

Combination of foods is used, some requiring limited degree of processing & others requiring none Partially prepared foods – often add other

ingredients before heating or cooling Completely processed foods may be enhanced to

individualize (adding sauce to an entrée)




Offers easy solution to labor & production problems

Readily available supply of highly processed, high-quality food products is a prerequisite for a successful assembly/serve operationSpecial diet modifications can be problem

Another complaint – lack of individuality

Documents

Chapter 4 Food Product Flow. Foodservice Organizations, 5th edition Spears & Gregoire ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458