Food and Beverage Management - Coursework Example

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Food and beverage management Food service refers to any kind of organisation where huge amounts of food are consumed at regular interval for considerable length of time. In such places catering managers are assigned the duties of ensuring that this activity runs smoothly and satisfactorily. When a system in place is not working it is up to the manager to recommend the necessary changes to be to ensure satisfaction to all parties consuming the food. In this regard the manager has to check all the available alternatives present. The first option he/she should consult the existing food service systems; there are three broad divisions recognised food delivery namely convectional, cook chilled and the cook frozen ways. Each of these is applicable to different organisation. To determine the most effective system for a group of six hundred people, fifteen working staff and use minimal resources to facilitate the program a critical analysis should be performed. Among the three systems they include the conventional means which by all means is not effective for the industrial scenario. Firstly there are very many consumers and the cooking staff is limited. Several factors eliminate conventional method as an option these are; High labour requirements; from the operation that the system applies it evident that food is prepared when consuming individuals are available. This fact translates to the routine of high and low consumption periods. When at the peaks the labour required to meet the food supply of the consumers is very high leading to high costs of food preparations. However in organised schedules the staff can prepare for the peaks in advance because they are certain of the number of consumers and consumption time. This information makes the system preferable to organisations than cafeterias. (Unklesbay, N. 1977). Variations in food production quality and quantity; this occurs mostly if an organisations operates several small conventional catering units. The difference in experience and creativity of the cooks leads to different food qualities. Once this has been realised complains occurs requiring hiring of more qualified personnel. Cost of food may rise; this is a result of uncontrolled amounts when serving, when this practised the effect is rise and fall of food consumed at different times by the same number of individuals. Food safety is not well controlled; this fact is as a result of the availability of many cooking staff making decision for critical points during the cooking process. This makes it very hard to regulate the whole process. (Hemminger, J. M.2000) Thus due to such limitations in organizations where food supplies are required in large numbers the option is usually not favored. The remaining two options are used depending on the preferences of the catering managers. It should also be noted that the type of consumers that are available that is either the workers in a company or for a commercial catering units. a general design for the main types of food generation are as represented in the flow chart below (Learner’s guide, 2003) Cook-Chill food system This system is termed as easy when large food supplies have to be made while observing very high standards of hygiene and flexibility in times of deliveries. The service just like any other first entails cooking of the food. This is done at a central unit the cooking is done to destroy the bacteria that may be present in the food, after this the food is placed in different containers. This is followed by fast chilling process and then the chilled food is stored under monitored temperatures which can be at around 00 C to 30 C. The storage process can last up to five days before the food is consumed. When consumption time presents itself then it certainly is presented hot. This part of time is called regeneration period where the food is either heated at this particular central point then transported in trolleys while hot to the consumers or it can be transported chilled then heated at the points of consumption. (Cook Chill Systems, 2011) This method is considered very safe and effective if all the guidelines laid down by the hazard and analysis critical control points are observed especially the time and temperature levels. When food is finally served a small portion is always left behind, this sample is marked with its date of production and the name of the food. The sample should also be stored at the same conditions in which the whole amount was in for several days after consumption. The main reason behind this is facilitate investigations in case there are complaints or cases of food poisoning and since some these cases do not occur immediately the necessity to keep them a little longer. This system also does not cater for all food types especially where the foods’ texture during consumption is best when crispy. It is also advisable to have the consumption date, food type, production date and all the regeneration procedure. (Learner’s guide, 2003) Advantages of cook chill Low labour requirement; since most of the processes are mechanized there is considerable low manual requirements procedures. The food in this process is produced at one time that is cooking and chilling it. The food can be stored up to five days thus it can be produced on a Monday and then consumed throughout the week. Since there is increased labour it is at the interest of any business to run processes that least labour obligations. With our case these would provide a very convenient opportunity to cater for all the staff. (Cook Chill Systems, 2011) High food security maintained; with the food cooked to ensure microbes are destroyed by high temperature that is the psychrophiles and the storage destroying the thermophiles. The end product is presented as high quality and free from common bacteria like bacillus cereus which cause food poisoning especially when food is stored warm for some time. Observing the hazard and analysis critical control points also contributes a lot to this factor. (Defence Food Safety Management, 2003). The diagram below show behavior of bacteria, (Cook-Chill- a simple guide. n.d) Food of good quality; the chilling of the food and regeneration is done at optimal levels to ensure that the food texture, appearance and the nutritional aspects are not tempered with. Cost friendly; when labour is minimal, safety and quality of food is observed there is general savings in food production costs. There is also minimal food wastage. Menu flexibility is achievable; since food is not conventionally prepared then there is ample time to allow for modifications and implementations of ideas to provide a wide range of foods during the catering time. (Cook-Chill- a simple guide) Disadvantages of chill method There is loss of some nutrients in the process of storing the cooked food. The common nutrients that are lost include the vitamins which are lost within the first twenty four hours of storage. The method has also been limited to a certain group of foods only. For example this process cannot be viable to produce foods which are to be presented in crisp form. The food presentation may also be tampered with during storage or the transport process. The containers which the food is stored in are for all purposes use thus most times will not conform with the food shape for intact transportation. Sudden changes in numbers of consumers cannot be smoothly handled through this system. Although the system can handle change in consumption time effectively it is not possible for the change in numbers.( Learner’s guide, 2003) Cook freeze This is a process which improve the length at which prepared and cooked meals can be stored and moved from one place to the next. The system is very similar to the chill method only that this one uses freezing as its storage state and the food can stay up to eight weeks. Apart from direct consumption the foods are also processed and stored during the season in which they are in plenty and consumed during the low season. (Defence Food Safety Management, 2003). Once the food is cooked to kill the microbes then it is portioned in the sizes into which it is to be stored. This is followed by packaging then blast freezing and finally the food is stored and moved at temperatures around -180 C. It is important to note that the process should be as smooth as possible because any delays may lead to food spoilage. The machines for freezing food should be very effective and capable of freezing food very fast. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) Two types of freezers are well known for good results these are the air blast freezers which uses ordinary air and the cryogenic freezers which uses nitrogen. Many of the cryogenic models make use liquid nitrogen and has an average of twenty five minutes to freeze the food which is not covered but the covered ones takes an extra time to freeze. At – 196 degrees Celsius the nitrogen is sprayed into the freezing compartments and the fans diffuse the very cold liquid gas to effect even freezing of all the food in the chamber. Once nitrogen lands on the food surface it absorbs the heat from it freezing instantly and simultaneous the warmer gases are propelled out by the more of the liquid nitrogen coming in. The air blast freezers take more time in comparison to their counterparts. On average they take around seventy five minutes to ninety minutes and this highly depending on packing mode. Cold air around negative forty degrees is pumped into chamber containing the food as the warm air is expelled. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) This cold air is recycled by cooling it then pumping it back into the system. Depending on size this process can make use of a trolley or be automated. As earlier stated after freezing the food should be stored at -200 C-300 C and if very minimal it should not be below -180 C. It is also very important to consider that all the food to be preserved in this manner must of very high quality. The food should be fresh before preparation this is because the food which is not fresh when prepared goes bad very fast after regeneration. When quantity is also relevant on the number of consumers and for what period of time they are expected to consume it. The manager should be also direct on the portioning. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) Disadvantages of cook freeze system The water in the food expands when frozen breaking the cell wall, when the regeneration is carried out the food becomes of a very different texture than when not frozen. This fact is seen to reduce the food quality. Machines have been developed to dehydrate the food before freezing to avoid cell wall rupturing. Acquiring these machines would increase food production costs very mach. (Disadvantages and advantage of Cook-Freeze System, 2011.) It is not cost effective; though the staff is maintained at low cost the power used during the entire process is very high. All the time high use of power is required like when initially freezing the food, maintaining this cold temperature for as long as eight weeks. When transporting the food it is done by freezer fitted auto mobile which are costly to acquire and maintain. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) The warming of this food is also a process because it involves thawing and warming as a single step. The staff responsible for operation such kinds of machinery are required to be well trained. Untrained staff cannot handle the process carefully and the efficiency of the process may not be realized. The hiring or training of the existing untrained staff would increase to production cost as it would require part time staff to handle the kitchen before the trainee are competent. The hazard analysis critical control points should also be checked by a qualified and an experienced member. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) This system is prone to high levels of damage and cost if a poisoning case is registered. First there a large number of individuals would be affected and secondly a huge amount of food may be destroyed if confirmed unfit for human consumption. This is not the effect that is experienced with cook chill method since food is processed in small amounts which can last up to five days. In case of an incident with the cook freeze system the effect is usually very broad. (Disadvantages and advantage of Cook-Freeze System, 2011.) High initial cost for starting the cook freeze system. The procedure entails investing in high tech machines like freezers and automatic monitoring systems. This may be not of economic value in cases where food production is not the key agenda of the company. Advantages of cook freeze system The system requires less labour input, this is attributed to the fact that production of food for a considerably length of time. This fact helps during the catering as already food had been processed earlier and only regeneration is done when consumption is necessary. The minimum can operate the system if they have the required technical skills The system can create profits if it is optimized only. This fact applies for commercial catering points but not for staff servicing. In comparison to a conventional kitchen of the same size it can do better with half number of the conventional staff. This system has enough time to allow for flexibility of menu choices. Since food is made and stored for long period then the period between storage and consumption allows for creativity in presentation and menu containing balanced diets. The system also caters for last minute changes because the food is already processed and in case of any change then regenerating is all that is required. ( Learner’s guide, 2003) When blast freezing is applied then only small ice crystals are formed in the food these result in fresh and very nice meals. These meals bear almost the same qualities as those which have been prepared directly. In such system the color and the texture is well preserved up to consumption period. (Disadvantages and advantage of Cook-Freeze System, 2011.) Recommendation The most applicable system for the industry is cook chill system. The system does not require a lot of staff and can easily handle the six hundred employees. The cost of implementation is considerably low compared to that of the cook freeze system and also not very risky when incidents occur. The system is also very clean and food safety is assured by implementation of the hazard analysis critical points by qualified personnel. Reference Cook Chill Systems.2011, retrieved on; 18/04/11from: http://www.plascongroup.com/the-cook-chill-system.html Cook-Chill- a simple guide. Retrieved on;18/04/11 from http://www.williams-refrigeration.com/SiteImages/Site_321/PDF/cook%20chill%20brochure%20int%20version%20v6%20-%202.pdf Defence Food Safety Management. retrieved on; 18/04/11from: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/foodtech/.../2003/foodtech03.pdf Disadvantages and advantage of Cook-Freeze System, 2011. 2011. retrieved on18/04/11 from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/52309980/NHCM1102-Assignment Hemminger, J. M. “Food safety: a guide to what you really need to know.” 2000 Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press. Learner’s guide, 2003. “Cook Freeze Food” Theta Tourism, Hospitality and Sport; Education and Training Authority. source http://www.theta.org.za Unklesbay, N. (1977). “Monitoring for quality control in alternate foodservice systems”. Read More