\u201cCanada\u2019s Food Price Report 2017,\u201d prepared by Dalhousie University, forecasts a rise in food prices between 3 percent and 5 percent for the year. That\u2019s higher than last year\u2019s increase and considerably higher than the general inflation rate.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s challenging news for healthcare foodservice operations, which unlike restaurants, can\u2019t raise menu prices to help preserve profit margins. Bob Moulson, MScFN, RD, Team Lead for the Gordon Food Service\u00ae Nutrition Resource Centre, suggests that operators focus instead on the way they plan, prepare and serve food to customers. \u201cSmart production practices can deliver significant savings that help offset rising food costs over time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Here are a few tips for reducing food costs through production considerations.<\/p>\n
A standardized recipe is one that has been tried, adapted and retried several times for use by a given foodservice operation, and has been found to produce the same results and yield every time the exact procedures are followed. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt includes everything from ingredients to cooking temperatures to portion sizes,\u201d explains Kelly Ringrose, RD, National Menu Specialist for the Gordon Food Service Nutrition Centre. \u201cIt ensures that you\u2019ll deliver the same high-quality meal to patients or residents each time you prepare it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Standardization reduces costs through portion and yield control. The amount of food produced and served is the same every time, so leftovers and waste are minimized. \u201cRecipes even include the scoop size you should be using, so you\u2019re always providing a consistent serving with the appropriate nutrition,\u201d says Moulson. <\/p>\n
A cycle menu is a menu that offers different foods every day and repeats itself after a certain period of time. \u201cHealthcare cycle menus are typically three to five weeks long,\u201d reports Moulson. \u201cOperators often run one cycle menu for six months, then replace it with a new one.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cycle menus help reduce food costs through predictability. When you repeat a dish every five weeks, you can see how much is consumed and how much is left over\u2014and you can adjust your forecasted production and product purchases accordingly. Knowing exactly what you\u2019ll offer when also helps you take better advantage of favourably priced bulk buys and in-season foods.<\/p>\n
Using a software program like GFS Connect Menu+ to manage standardized recipes and cycle menus enables you to generate production reports that guide the preparation of each meal and provide a foundation for forecasting food needs.<\/p>\n
Just be sure you adjust the popularity percentages for each meal, urges Moulson. \u201cIf you\u2019re offering a choice of macaroni and cheese or liver, the popularity percentage might be 80-20. But if it\u2019s macaroni and cheese or roast beef, it might be 40-60.\u201d <\/p>\n
Don\u2019t take entr\u00e9e popularity into account and you\u2019ll be ordering and preparing too much or too little of something and this of course increases waste.<\/p>\n
There are two aspects of food waste: pre-consumer, the amount of waste generated before a dish goes to your customer, and post-consumer, which is anything the customer leaves on the plate. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor pre-consumer waste, look at the way your staff is trimming items\u2014they might unintentionally be throwing away more than they should,\u201d says Ringrose. \u201cYou might need to provide knife training.\u201d You may also be purchasing more than you can use. \u201cIf you\u2019re ordering bulk produce because it\u2019s cheaper per portion but you have to toss a quarter of the case due to spoilage, it may be more cost-effective to purchase a smaller volume of pre-cut items.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for post-consumer waste, \u201cLeftovers often go overlooked as a food cost factor, but it\u2019s not unusual for healthcare operators to overproduce by at least 10 percent. That\u2019s a loss of approximately $10,000 per year for every 100 residents\u201d says Moulson.<\/p>\n
Ringrose recommends that staff record leftovers in production reports so you can track and monitor them over time, and adjust your orders in response.<\/p>\n
Bluewater Health, which encompasses two Ontario hospitals\u2014Bluewater Health in Sarnia and Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital of Bluewater Health in Petrolia\u2014has long made use of standardized recipes and cycle menus. But it\u2019s a more recent innovation that helped slash food costs by 25 percent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe implemented a new food delivery system in March 2016,\u201d explains Shaylin Kemmerling, RD, Manager, Diabetes, Clinical Nutrition & Food Services. \u201cIt starts with asking each patient that comes through for their food preferences. \u2018What do you really not want to eat?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That information goes into the department\u2019s software system and helps determine the menu choices each patient will be presented with\u2014and whether they even want three meals a day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were wasting food\u2014our staff saw it coming back,\u201d reports Jennie Mitchell, Food Service Supervisor. Her department serves about 700 patient meals each day, so leftovers can add up to a lot of wasted food and money.<\/p>\n
As they do with most every issue, managers huddled with team members to define the problem and develop solutions. \u201cWe have a very high level of staff engagement,\u201d says Mitchell. \u201cThey\u2019re our eyes and ears to the patients, so we need to have their ideas and input.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to adopting a new dietary preference protocol, Bluewater Health invested in new delivery carts that Mitchell calls \u201covens on wheels.\u201d That further reduces leftovers by ensuring meals are served at an appealing temperature. A greater focus on cross-utilization of ingredients between dishes has also contributed cost savings.<\/p>\n
Nutrition quality increased even as food costs declined. \u201cOur meals are more nutritionally sound than ever,\u201d says Kemmerling. \u201cWe\u2019re giving patients choices we know they\u2019ll like\u2014but we\u2019re making all the choices appropriate for their nutritional needs, across all 64 diets we offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Refining production practices for multiple diets may seem like a daunting task. \u201cBut it begins with simple monitoring of your recipes and their leftovers,\u201d stresses Moulson. \u201cThat\u2019s the best bet for reducing food costs over time.\u201d <\/p>\n
When designing a cycle menu, account for entrees that might take more time to cook\u2014like a full roast. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to do that 3-4 times in a cycle,\u201d says Moulson. \u201cInstead, produce double to begin with. You can serve half one day as a main dish and half the next in sandwiches.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As food costs increase, refining your production practices can offset the rising prices. \u201cCanada\u2019s Food Price Report 2017,\u201d prepared by Dalhousie University, forecasts a rise in food prices between 3 percent and 5 percent for the year. That\u2019s higher than last year\u2019s increase and considerably higher than the general inflation rate. That\u2019s challenging news for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,123,112,69,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n