10 Purchasing Specification for Semi Perishable and Non Perishable Foods

V. Suganthi

1. DEFINITION

A specification has been defined as essentially a statement, readily understood by both buyers and suppliers, of the required quality of the products, including the allowable limits of tolerance. In simplest terms, a specification may be described as a list of detailed characteristics desired in a product for specific use.

2. OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Know the importance of specification and its role in maintaining quality in food service.
Formulate the specification for different food products.
Know the purchasing criteria for different semi perishable and non perishable food products used in food service institutions

3. IMPORTANCE OF SPECIFICATION

Quality has become the watchword in food services. In addition to the assurance of quality in product selection, critical elements in producing quality food and food service are the development of and strict adherence to rigorous purchasing specifications. The root of the word specification is “specific”, which means that some conditions or status must be met, definitely and without equivocation. Thus, the primary safeguard of foodservice quality is adherence to specifications.

Standard purchasing specifications are documents that are drawn up for every commodity describing exactly what is needed for the establishment. These standard purchase specifications will assist with the formulation of standardized recipes. A watertight specification is drawn up, which once approved will be referred to every time the product is delivered. It is a statement of various criteria related to quality, grade, weight, size and method of preparation, if required. A copy of the standard specification is often given to the supplier and the storekeeper, who are left to no doubt as to what is needed. These specifications assist in the costing and control procedures.

4. PURPOSES OF SPECIFICATIONS

The first step in purchasing is developing appropriate specification for each item tthat must be purchased from an outside supplier.

Specifications serve many purposes. They represent cost and quality control guidelines. They help avoid misunderstanding among suppliers, buyers and people who use the purchased products. And they allow a manager to shop around for competitive price quotations from the suppliers who are able to fulfill the specifications.

The restaurant manager usually prepares product specifications that is formal statements of all the characteristics in a product required to fill specific needs. These statements note all necessary product characteristics and in some cases also note additional information such as the purchasing agents required delivery procedures, payments terms and returns policy. When a product specification contains this additional information, it is sometimes referred to as a purchase specification.

Specifications for food purchasing are not easily developed, but with federal standards available and with the assistance of manufacturers, processors, researchers and salesmen, the institution food buyer can readily identify grades that will meet his needs and desirable to the seller precisely what is wanted. Familiarity with each commodity is essential to the understanding of the levels of quality in foods.

A product specification is based primarily on the restaurant’s production requirements. The characteristics necessary in a product will depend on the restaurant’s recipes, menus, service style, cooking procedures, receiving and storage facilities, and budgetary constraints.

The typical product specification includes information such as:

The exact name of the product
Its intended use
Quality desired
Product size
Usable yield percentage
Package size
Type of package
Packaging procedure
Preservation method
Point of origin
Degree of ripeness
Product form
Type of product processing
colour

5. TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS

The three types of specifications applicable to food services are technical, approved brand, and performance. Selection of one, or a combination of two or all three, of these types is based on the product being purchased, whether it is food, supplies or equipment.

1. Technical specifications are applicable to products for which quality may be measured objectively and impartially by testing instruments. These are particularly applicable to graded food items for which a nationally recognized standards exists.

2.Approved brand specifications indicate quality by designating a product of known desirable characteristics like ketchups and sauces.

3.In Performance specifications, quality is measured by the effective functioning of large or small equipment, disposable paper or plastic items or detergents. Examples include the minimum and maximum number of kilograms to be weighed on a scale, the number of dishes to be washed per minute, the minutes coffee will remain at serving temperature in a disposable cup or the pH level of detergents.

Of the three types of specifications, the technical is used most often for food products purchased by large food service institutions. A specification for a particular product also might be a combination including both technical and performance criteria.

Grown (primary): butcher’s meat, fresh fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and eggs
Manufactured (secondary); bakery goods, dairy products
Processed (tertiary): frozen foods including meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, dried goods, canned goods

6. WRITING SPECIFICATION

Written specifications are necessary for an efficient food service operation. When specifications are written, suppliers, receiving clerk and the food service managers all can determine if the products received are what were ordered. Specification writing can be time consuming and labour intensive especially for small food service operations. Specification writing requires a team approach and generally includes the food service manager, Dietitian, procurement and production unit heads, buyer, cook and often the financial manager. A specification can be simple or complex, depending on the type used; the brand name type is the simplest, and the technical type is the most complex.

Good specifications are:

Clear, simple and sufficiently specific, so both buyer and supplier can readily identify all provisions requires
Consistent with products or grade currently on the market
Verifiable by label statements, weight determination and so on
Fair to the supplier and protective to the buyer
Realistic quality standards that would find at least some products acceptable
Capable of being met by several bidders to enable competition

7. PURCHASING CRITERIA FOR SEMI PERISHABLE FOODS

If properly stored and handled, semi perishable foods may remain unspoiled for six months to about one year. Examples of semi perishables are flour, grain products, pulses, nuts, dry fruits and dry mixes. Cereal and cereal products used in food service institutions include rice, wheat, corn, oats, macaroni, noodles, corn flour, etc.

7.1.Cereals and cereal products

Rice: Standards for grading rice are based on wholesomeness of the kernel and cleanliness. All classes of rice are sorted and sold according to the number of whole grains and the cleanliness of the test sample. The different varieties of rice purchased in food service institutions are milled rice, parboiled rice and Basmati or long grained rice., parched rice and flaked rice. Any rice should be even grained, not have any objectionable odours and should not contain dirt, dust, insects or any other foreign materials.

Wheat: Wheat is consumed mainly in the form of flour obtained by milling the grain while a small quantity is converted into breakfast foods such as wheat flakes and puffed wheat. In India, Punjab wheat is used for making chapathis and pooris and samba wheat is used for making upma. The other wheat products include:

Semolina: It is coarsely ground endosperm and its chemical composition is similar to that of white flour. It is used in the manufacture of macaroni products. It is roasted before serving to keep it insect free.
Macaroni products: These are also called pasta products which include macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli and noodles. The main ingredient in the macaroni products is durum wheat, which is used because of its yellow amber colour, nutty flavor and high gluten content.
Corn: This is an important cereal product which is processed into breakfast cereals, flour, oil and starch. Both yellow and white varieties are used to make meal and choice depends on the preference of clientele to be served.

All cereals should have even shape, size and colour. There should be no sign of mould growth and no lumping together of grains. All other cereals and cereal products should be free from unacceptable taste and odours. No colouring or any extraneous matter may be permitted in these products.

Flour: No large quantity should be purchased without a standardized baking test that will make evident the difference in absorption stability, fermentation time and quality of the finished product made from the flours being tested. The characteristic qualities of flour are determined by the variety of wheat, the soil composition, the milling process, and the amount of moisture available especially during the ripening season.

Hard wheat has a high protein (11 to 13 percent), and the flour milled from it is known as bread flour. Cake flour is milled from soft wheat and has a gluten content of 7 to 71/2 percent. It may be as much as 27 times finer than the bread flour. All purpose flour is s blend of flour from soft and hard wheat, and its protein content varies according to varieties of wheat used and where grown. Self raising flour contains the constituents of baking powder as well as salt and is used for making quick breads. The usual purchase units are 50-100 kg per sack.

All flours including rice flour, ragi flour, corn flour, wheat flour, and maida should not lunp together and should not have any objectionable odours. There should not be any presence of insects, insect droppings or any other foreign materials which shows the presence of insect infestation or unsanitary conditions.

7.2.Pulses and legumes

Pulses are edible fruits or seeds of pod bearing plants. Pulses are used in different forms such as

Whole legumes
Decuticled split legumes with skin and without skin
Germinated or fermented pulses
Flour of pulses
Parched pulses like Bengal gram and peas

The major pulses and legumes which are used in food service institutions include red gram dhal, black gram dhal, Bengal gram dhal, green gram dhal, Bengal gram whole (channa), rajma, cowpeas, dry peas, soyabeans, etc. Pulses should be free from insect infestation, stones or other adulterants. There should not be any sign of mould growth. There should not be any lumping together of pulses ad should not have any off odour.

7.3.Nuts

Nuts are seeds or fruits consisting of edible fat containing kernel and surrounded by a hard or a brittle shell. Nuts have rich flavor. Once nuts were used only in desserts and baked goods. Now they are used in all kinds of preparations. Common nuts used in cookery include almonds, cashewnuts, coconuts, ground nuts, walnuts and pistachios. Nuts are usually purchases in the shelled form. Unshelled nuts keep longer than shelled nuts. All nuts should be of even colour, size and shape. Nuts should be free from mould growth and insect infestation.

7.4.Dry fruits

Dried fruit is fruit from which majority of water which is naturally present in the food has been removed either naturally, through sun drying or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Some common dry fruits used in various preparations are raisins, dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples and pears.

A humid climate is likely to result in dried fruits gaining moisture and because of that growing moldy. The stability of dried foods depends not only on the humidity of air but also on the type of food. Dried fruits are usually packaged in one of the many different types of plastic films. The selection of correct type of packaging material depends on the following factors:

Temperature and humidity of the air in which the product is to be stored
The capacity of the product to pick up moisture from the air
Reactions within the product caused by air or sunlight during storage
The expected shelf life

When packages of dried fruits are purchased in the food service institutions, care should be taken to be ensure that the packages are intact, not ripped and the product does not have any mould formation or insect infestation.

7.5.Dry mixes

Both fully prepared and base mixes are great time and labour savers in any food service institutions. They may be purchases in many varieties and if properly handled make excellent products. When purchasing dry mixes in bulk quantities, care must be taken to ensure that only quality products have gone into preparation of these mixes and it has been prepared in a hygienic manner.

8. PURCHASING CRITERIA FOR NON PERISHABLE FOODS

These are foods that can be stored indefinitely. They do not spoil unless they are handled carelessly. Examples of non perishables include sugar, spices and canned foods.

8.1.Sugar

Sugar and jiggery are used in beverages and other foods to increase palatability. Sugars are found in foods as natural constituents such as fruits, honey or dairy products. They are also generated during processing. They are added intentionally to improve the palatability of foods. The granules should be crystalline, uniform in size and free from foreign materials. Refined white sugar should be white, dry, odourless and readily soluble in cold water. It should have no taste other than sweetness.

8.2.Salt

Salt is obtainable in different degrees of refinement and with certain elements added. The addition of one percent of carbonate of magnesia produces free running salt by which caking by absorption of moisture from the atmosphere is prevented. Now a days, only iodised salts are used to conform to government laws. Salt is usually bought in twenty five or fifty lkg packs and it is stored in a cool, dry place.

8.3.Spices and Herbs

Spices and herbs are vegetable substances with pungent qualities peculiar to themselves. Many different parts of plants are represented. Spices are prepared from roots, buds, flowers, fruits, barks or seeds, whereas herbs come from leafy or soft portions of certain annual or biennial plants. Every spice or herb depends on delicate volatile oils for the ability to give off aroma and to impart flavor. In no two spices are these spices exactly the same, even in nutmeg and mace, where the aroma is almost identical. The root, bud, fruit, flower, bark, seed or leaf is the part of the plant that holds the characteristic ingredient as the root of ginger, the bud of clove, the fruit or seed of caraway and the leaf of mint and coriander. Thirty or more different spices and herbs are available and may be employed in seasoning, but in many institution kitchens, the number in active use is limited to six or seven.

Spices should be should be fresh, have distinct flavor and free from pests, dirt and other extraneous matter. Many of the herbs are found in local markets. But spices are not widely available. The packers of spices face a difficult problem in providing safe and sanitary products, since some spices can lose their aroma soon and the packaging in which the spices are transported can also transport microorganisms if they are not stored in sanitary conditions.

In as much as the value and effectiveness of spices lie in the presence of volatile oils, consideration of the problem of storage involves two warnings: first, buy only in quantities suitable for probable use within six months; and second, store in tightly covered air tight containers in a cool place. Spices for institutions are usually packaged in half or one kg containers.

8.4.Canned foods, packed foods and bottled foods

Bottling and canning are essentially similar processes in that food is filled into a container and heated to destroy enzymes and microorganisms. Fruits can be packed into jars with a hot sugar syrup and vegetables can be packed into hot brine. The filled jars are sealed and pasteurized so that an internal vacuum forms when they are cool. The sealed containers then preserve the food by preventing contamination and excluding air and sometimes light. Preservation depends on an adequate heat treatment and an air tight or hematic sealing.

Cans should not be dented, bulky or leaking. Bloated or bulging cans are dangerous sources of pathogenic organisms especially if the food product has high pH like meat. Test contents of the cans if the cans are damaged, dented or leaky. Cans not labeled for date of manufacture and use must be treated with suspicion. Bottles and jars should be sealed air tight. Packs should not be torn. Transparent packs may be examined for size and colour of food or presence of infestation

8.5.Fats and oils

Fats that have a relatively high melting point and are solid at room temperature are called as fats, whereas those that have lower melting points and are liquid at room temperature are called as oils. Fat is present naturally in many foods. This fat is often referred to as invisible fat. Examples of foods containing appreciable amounts of fat are meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products and nuts. Visible fats are made from these products.

Fats and oils play a variety of roles in food preparation. The common uses of fat are as an ingredient in emulsion, as a medium of frying and to give shortening power to batters and doughs. The common fats and oils used in food service institutions include Butter, margarine. Groundnut oil, coconut oil, soya bean oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, sesame oil and palm oil.

Spoliage of fats and oils may occur on storage which is called as rancidity, particularly if the fats are highly unsaturated and the conditions of storage are conducive to chemical changes in the fats. The fats purchased for food service institutions should not be rancid and delivered in properly sealed containers. Oils should be free flowing, viscous, clean and in properly sealed containers

CONCLUSION

A specification may be considered an accurate word picture or a definition of a product. Knowledge of how to write specifications for the desired quality is essential. Before specifications are written, however, the production manager must decide on the form and quality of food suitable for specific needs. It must be definite enough so that here is no misunderstanding as to the foods required for a food service institution, be it semi perishable or non perishable.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

West & Wood, Food Service in Institutions, Wiley Eastern Limited, 2000
Modern Cookery for teaching and trade, Volume 1 & 2, Sixth editioin, Thangam.E.Philip, Orient Blackman Private Limited, 2010.Arora, Food service and Catering Management: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2007
Food Science, Sixth edition, Srilakshmi.B., New age International publishers, 2015Sethi, Institutional Management: New Age International publishers, 2004
Cookery for the Hospitality Industry, 5th edition, Grahan Dodgshun & Michel Peters, Adapted by Sireesh Saxena, Cambridge University Press, 2008.

WEB LINKS

www.best4online.com/food.htm
www,eac_quality.net
www.nou.edu.ng/NOUN_OCL
www.textbooksonline.tn.nic.in