Product flow. It basically means the flow of product, with the aim to minimise unnecessary traffic and separate the preparation of raw and cooked food. The product must not, at any point, cross paths with dirty items. As such, there must also be proper division between product and non-product areas.
Product areas: preparation area, cooking area, etc.
Non-product areas: store rooms, offices, toilets, etc.
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{Purchasing}
Product flow in food premises starts when raw products are obtained from approved/licensed and reputable suppliers.
An approved food supplier is one that has been inspected and meets all applicable local, state, and federal laws. It is vital that the suppliers have good safety practices.
Purchasing requires knowledge of products and market conditions and there are also certain techniques to it.
Just to name a few:
- Comparative shopping
- comparing prices before actually buying something in order to get the best deals and prices
- Selection of the most efficient suppliers
- Choosing the right supplier depends on factors such as:
- value for money- worth the money spent on purchased goods
- quality- the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind
- reliability- to be consistently good in quality or performance; trustworthy
- service
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Adapted from https://www.region10.org/mrpc/ |
When selecting suppliers, the effective ones would be those offering products or services that measure up to the needs of your business.
During purchasing, it is important to set up the products’ safety and quality specifications with the suppliers.
This takes into account temperature at which perishable foods are held during delivery.
During purchasing, it is important to set up the products’ safety and quality specifications with the suppliers.
This takes into account temperature at which perishable foods are held during delivery.
It would be a good idea to review the suppliers’ most
recent inspection reports.
These would be evidence enough to show whether they follow good manufacturing practices.
As such, the purchasing manager will then be able to decide whether or not to renew contracts with the suppliers.
These would be evidence enough to show whether they follow good manufacturing practices.
As such, the purchasing manager will then be able to decide whether or not to renew contracts with the suppliers.
{Receiving}
This is the juncture where the food delivered is taken into
operation— unloading, inspecting, accepting or rejecting, labelling and storing
items in a timely manner.
Some important points to take note of would be to:
Adapted from http://guidedlearning.com/foodsafety/two-210.html |
- It is possible for foods to be delivered to a food-service operation already contaminated.
- Therefore, always inspect ALL goods to see that they arrive in sanitary conditions.
- Check the ambient temperature inside the delivery truck to see that it is correct.
- Check temperature of product and expiry date
- Foods must be verified to have the required government inspection and certification stamps or tags.
2. Reject all products that do not meet requirements
- Randomly sample items and goods which do not meet the standard should be rejected.
3. Store
foods immediately
- Move the goods into proper storage conditions as soon as possible.
4. Avoid cross-contamination
5. Keep receiving area clean
Certain criteria must also be met before the
rejection of goods received.
First, quality of product.
Food with an abnormal colour and sour odour should be rejected. Likewise for meat, fish or poultry which is slimy, sticky, dry and soft such that it leaves an imprint upon touching it.
First, quality of product.
Food with an abnormal colour and sour odour should be rejected. Likewise for meat, fish or poultry which is slimy, sticky, dry and soft such that it leaves an imprint upon touching it.
Second,
packaging.
Items with any form of defect such as:
should be rejected.
Items with any form of defect such as:
- tears/leaks/holes/dents/broken seals/bulges
- rust/dirty items/missing labels
- past the expiry date
- signs of pests
should be rejected.
{Storing}
Moving on, this is the point in product flow where the
items received from suppliers are stored, be it in the freezer, chiller, dry
goods storage area or the pantry.
Certain foods should be stored at specific temperatures to maintain their quality:
- Meat and Poultry: 0 to 2 degree Celsius (°C)
- Fish and Shellfish: -1 to 1 degree Celsius (°C)
- Eggs: 3 to 4 degree Celsius (°C)
- Dairy products: 2 to 4 degree Celsius (°C)
- Produce: 4 to 7 degree Celsius (°C)
Before storing food in the refrigerator food should be:
- properly cooled
- stored in clean containers
- wrapped
- labelled clearly with the contents and the date
Adapted from http://www.johnsonsce.co.uk/HACCP.aspx?id=9
The “first in, first out” (FIFO) principle should be used when arranging food, meaning that the older items are in the front.
Dry storage is used for foods such as canned goods, spices,
condiments, cereals, and staples such as flour and sugar, as well as for some
fruits and vegetables that do not require refrigeration and do not perish
easily.
All storage areas maintained to keep them clean, with
proper ventilation and air circulation.
Storage areas meant for food should be separated from storage areas meant for cleaning supplies.
Storage areas meant for food should be separated from storage areas meant for cleaning supplies.
{Preparation}
Following storage of goods received, there will be preparation
of food items, which includes thawing, cutting, selection, mixing and even
cooking of certain ingredients.
Adapted from http://health.wikinut.com/img/.gmv1tpl0ztz__gr/Meal-Planning-and-Preparation
Another method to prevent cross contamination is by using
different colour cutting boards for preparing food. A specific colour of chopping board is used for a particular food item. For instance, a green chopping board should be used for chopping vegetables and vegetables alone. Other colours of chopping board would be red, white, brown and blue. Red coloured chopping boards are to be used for cutting meat, white for
In addition, frozen foods should be thawed under
refrigeration at 8oC or below, or under cool running water in
waterproof package. They must be adequately thawed before cooking. The maximum
time for holding thawed foods and cold perishable foods in food preparation
area at above 4oC is four hours.
After preparation, there may be temporary storage of the prepared
food items in hot or cold conditions for use at a later time.
{Cooking}
Adapted from http://taste.fourseasons.com/2013/03/
cooking-class-confidential-learn-from-the-best-in-chiang-mai/
Food must also be fully or thoroughly cooked. This is to
prevent the survival of food poisoning bacteria and bacteria spores, which will
cause harm to the consumer.
{Final Preparation}
After cooking, there will be the final preparation of the
food. At this stage, the cooked food will most probably be packed in containers
for customers to take away or put on plates.
Adapted from http://www.istorya.net/forums/food-and-beverages-55/
668940-affordable-packed-meals-49-pesos-only-redfry-foodshoppe.html
{Serving}
Finally, the cooked and packed
food will be served or given to customers to take away. The satisfaction of the
customer will depend on the quality of the cooked product and its appearance.
Adapted from: http://www.cliparthut.com/ serving-food-clip-art-clipart-P2v1x6.html |
This is the product flow in
food premises but it may differ slightly from place to place.
The post is very detailed and i have learnt the workflow of the product from the start which is getting of the ingredients to forming the product or the dish.
ReplyDelete-Ezekiel
Qian Yi: I have gathered that the information given is sufficient to explain the product flow in the kitchen.
ReplyDelete