Food and Beverage Management 04

1)      What procedures would you expect to find for the purchase and storage of food commodities?

When purchasing food for the hotel the buyer must be very careful. It is always advisable to use reputable shops that are supplied by known sources. The buyer when purchasing meat must make sure to check all the seals of approval that the animal is required to have. There are telltale signs and smells that identify freshness and staleness in meat. Also the vegetables must be fresh and crisp. To make sure that they are fresh the buyer must either buy from the source - the growers or when that is not possible from sellers whose turnover of stock is daily. Frozen goods when purchases must be of a certain temperature and properly stored and the instructions on the label and the sell by date must be carefully considered. The correct procedures for purchasing food are: ·         Identify the needs of the restaurant. Check the records to decide what the kitchen is short of and what the consumption of said item is to determine quantity that needs to be purchased. ·         Check the vendors. Pricing and quality might differ from provider to provider. The purchaser must find the correct balance between quality and price. Also there is legislation to consider. ·         Build relationships with producers. Usually hotels have specific vendors that they use to purchase the products they need. That helps them when purchasing large quantities and paying for said products. ·         The buyer must take into account delivery options and times. Sometimes delivery adds considerably to the cost. ·         The purchaser must consider new trends and guests preferences when placing orders. These are the general rules when ordering supplies. Different items however require different approach. There are specific rules that must be followed when buying meat, poultry or fish to ensure their freshness and suitability.     Storage of the purchased goods must be close to the area of use so as to avoid unnecessary movements. A central location for all the stores has a lot of advantages. It is easier to secure against theft and pilferage. And it is easier to stop overstocking or under stocking. The actual room itself should be dry and clean. Its size varies according to the needs of the kitchen and the daily usage. If the hotel has extensive stores then a storekeeper should be appointed to make sure that all necessary documentation upon receiving goods is ok and all appropriate forms filled. Also authorized personnel should do inventory checks on regular intervals. Storage procedures: ·         Received goods must be inspected to make sure that food is clean, wholesome free from spoilage, misbranding, and safe for human consumption. The food must have been prepared, processed, handled, packaged and stored in a sanitary manner. ·         Correct records must be kept to avoid financial disputes and pilfering later. ·         Bulk products such as sugar and flour, can be emptied into tightly covered, properly labeled approved containers to prevent outside contamination. Storage containers must have openings large enough to allow easy cleaning between uses. ·         All food must be labeled and dated. Arrange containers apart from one another in a refrigerator to ensure proper cooling. This allows air to circulate around containers. Cover all food while in storage. Covering keeps food from drying out and minimizes the possibility of contamination. ·         Use foods on a first in, first out basis (fifo). Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food prepared and held for more than 24 hours in a facility must be marked with the date of preparation. It must be discarded if not sold or served within ten calendar days.

2)      What is meant by stock control? Illustrate your answer outlining one method of record keeping.

Stock control is used to evaluate how much stock is used. It is also used to know what is needed to be ordered. A way to keep track of stock. A way of controlling the stocks is trough a stock ledger. List all the items in storage. A proper stock ledger whether it’s a form or a card or a computer file, is actually a list of all the items in stock. Provide ample information. They should include information such as cost of each individual item, name and description if possible, the name of the supplier and the usual way of ordering from him (for example his fax or email) and the minimum quantity that is necessary before restocking is needed. Check regularly and compare. The store keeper must know at a glance what is running low. Also by booking at a previous ledgers and checking the profits it is easy to see if there is any wastage or whether the resources are badly handled. For example if there are 3 chickens in the fridge today but yesterday there were 5 that means 2 have been sold. Assuming that each chicken is a portion and is sold for 10.00 GBP then the gross profits should be 20.00 GBP. If it is less the discrepancy must be noted.

3)      Draw up a flow diagram to show the passage of a fillet of beef from when it is ordered from the supplier to being served to the customer, showing the critical control points.