jimtrue.com : school : CUL135 : CH01: The Purchase Specification - An Overall View

Posted by Jim True on July 17, 2009 8:38 PM. Last Updated July 17, 2009 8:38 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

CH01: The Purchase Specification - An Overall View

Class General Notes

Food Specification: how much you need, what you need (what animal, what part of the animal, what cut) We will learn 22 Specific criteria you need to know when you order any food item In order to make the same food day in and day out, you must have consistent and safe products, you need consistency and safety in the food you purchase. Implied Warranty: when customer walks into your restaurant, you're guaranteeing me a safe product. Very specific Vendor Approval programs, because you are liable as the food service professional for the product you create. If you can't trust the safety and consistency of the ingredients you buy, you can't guarantee the product you are providing. Control the Safety of Food: Water, Feed or Fertilizer and Environment. Vendor approval and purchasing specifications help you protect. How do you reduce the risk before you get your food out the door: Vendor Approval Programs and Food Specifications (know what you're buying and know how it was handled before it came to you). Purchasing Food is #1 responsibility as a chef.

1. Distribution Systems

The Supply Chain

• Growers (ranchers, farmers, etc.)
• Manufacturers (processing plants)
• Processors (bulk products into more refined or specific products)

2. Distribution Process & Channels

• Distributors
1. Specialty (specific types of food, ie tomato sauce or only chicken)
2. Full Line (everything from food, to dry goods to paper products to chemicals, but not equipment
3. Broadline (all of the above including equipment)
• Brokers (agents that represent 1 or more sources)
• Manufacturer's Representatives (middlemen, end user services, some deliveries)
• Manufacturer's Agents (one source, one area)
• Commissaries: central distribution point that provides food for different outlets
• Wholesale Clubs
• Buying Clubs
• e-Commerce

3. Distribution Liquor

• Brewers
• Wine Makers
• Distillers (Liquors)
• Micro Breweries
• Importers/Wholesalers
• Distributors
• ABC, Alcohol Beverage Control

Food Specifications

You don't find Food Specs, you have to make them yourself. Must know and memorize these for mid-term and final exam; we will also be doing these every week for our class project.

1. Performance Requirement or Intended Use
• What is the intended use of that product, how will it be prepared or what will it be used in
2. Exact name of the product (is it a chicken breast, is it a boneless skinless chicken breast, etc)
3. Packers Brand name (company that processes or packages the item has a Brand Name)
4. US Quality Grade (should have some idea of what you're buying
• FDA, Food & Drug Administration (processed foods and fruits and vegetables
• USDA, US Dept of Agriculture, proteins, except fish
• 1.5% of food in the US gets inspected
5. Size Information (size of the food, 6oz, 4oz, so you can calculate the cost of your meal and determine portion size and servings by amount purchased
6. Acceptable Trim or Waste (yield management, 55% yield on whole fish); you must know this so you can calculate how much usable product you can make out of what you purchased.
7. Package Size, so we know how to store it
8. Type of Package, Packaging is number one cause of 'physical contamination'; you have to know the Type of Package so you can compensate for this issue. Is it in wood or nails or staples.
9. Preservation or Processing Method (how long it will last, food allergens (was it made near peanut products, etc)
10. Point of Origin, where it came from
11. Packaging Procedure, to protect against physical contamination
12. Degree of Ripeness, so we know how long it's going to last (Ethylene gas given off by certain products will cause other foods to ripen)
13. Form, what it looks like (helps the person receiving it from distributor)
14. Color, accepted color standards and also need to be specific (color pictures are best)
15. Trade Association Standards, (ACF, American Culinary Federation), Chicken Growers Association for Poultry, etc.
16. Approved substitutes, distributor may not have product, so what are your approved substitutes if they don't have the product
17. Expiration Date, how long can we keep it and what will we accept when received
18. Chemical Standards, how that food is made if chemicals are used in processing or in growing the product
19. Test or Inspection Process, how was this food inspected? USDA, FDA? We're looking for Third Party Audits (bring in AIB, etc., confirm quality and safety of these food items)
20. Cost and Quantity Limitations, how much will I accept and how much will I pay for it
21. General Instructions, where to deliver products and when it will be accepted for delivery (time, day of the week; they will not make up a special route for you without extra charge); what time can the salesman come, when will you accept deliveries.
22. Specific Instructions to Bidders, when you're doing the bid process

Read Chapters 1 & 2 for next week; pick recipes that use a combined total of 24 ingredients (3 from each of the 8 categories). This can be one recipe with all 24 ingredients (alcohol will probably just be purchased for drinking, so 21 ingredients), or any combination that uses the 24 ingredients. You will use these 24 ingredients to create your food specifications for the 24 ingredients.

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.