FOOD STORING AND ISSUING CONTROL

INTRODUCTION
When a foodservice operator selects particular qualities and quantities
of food and places orders at particular prices, he or she is, in effect, creating
and accepting the costs for food that will be served in the establishment.
Eventually, these costs will be reflected in the income statement. Having
accepted a particular level of cost, it is clearly in the operator’s best financial
interest to take all necessary steps to prevent the development of additional,
unplanned costs before the foods are sold to customers. These unacceptable
costs normally develop from spoilage, waste, or pilferage (the industry’s term
for theft). The control process can be applied to storing and issuing to reduce or eliminate the
development of unplanned, unwarranted costs.

Proper storage of food immediately after it has been received and checked is an important factor
in the prevention and control of loss or waste. Perishables need to be places immediately to
refrigerated or frozen storage. Staples should be stored in an orderly and systematic arrangement.
Food should be protected from pests, rodents, and insects. Storage should also have a low
humidity and proper ventilation to help prevent spoilage.
In general, the standards established for storing food should address five principal
concerns:
 Condition of facilities and equipment
 Arrangement of Food
 Security of Storage areas
 Location of Storage Facilities
 Dating and pricing of stored food
1. Condition of facilities and equipment
Factors to Consider in maintaining Proper Internal Conditions:
a. Temperature
- Shelf life of food is shortened if temperatures are allowed to rise above optimum
levels
Optimum Temperatures for Perishable Foods:
Fresh meats: 34 – 36 ° F (1-2 °C)
Fresh produce: 34 – 36 ° F (1-2 °C)
Fresh dairy products: 34 – 36 ° F (1-2 °C)
Fresh fish: 30 – 34 ° F (-1 to 1°C)
Frozen foods: 10 – 0 ° F (-23 to -18°C)
- For nonperishables/staples and groceries, storage facilities should usually be room
temperature, approximately 65° - 70°F.

b. Storage Containers
- Products purchased in unsealed packages should be transferred to tight, insect-
proof containers, since these are susceptible to attacks by insect and vermin
- Apples and potatoes may be stored as purchased for reasonable periods
- Fresh fish should be packed in shaved ice
- Cooked foods and opened canned foods should be stored in stainless steel
containers, either wrapped or appropriately covered.

c. Shelving
- Shelving should be slatted to permit maximum air circulation in refrigerated
facilities
- Shelving for nonperishables is preferably stainless steel
- No food product should be stored directly on the floor at any time
- Appropriate shelving raised a few inches above floor level should be provided for
large and heavy containers.
 d. Cleanliness
- Should be enforced in all food service facilities at all times to prevent the
accumulation of small amounts of spoiling food which can give off odors and
may affect other foods

2. Arrangement of Foods
Factors to Consider in Maintaining Appropriate Internal Arrangement of Food:

a. Fixing definite locations for each item

- Each particular item should always be found in the same location and attention
should be given to ensuring that new deliveries of the item are stored in the same
location
- Storing food products at several locations at once increases the chances of over
purchasing, spoilage and theft/pilferage, plus it makes difficult the monthly
process of taking a physical inventory
- Separate facilities for storage of different classes of foods should be maintained
whenever practicable and possible
Example: Eggs should not be stored with other foods that give off strong odor like
fish or cheese, as their shells are porous and will absorb flavors from other foods.

b. Rotation of stock
- Procedures must be established to ensure that older quantities of any item are used
before any new deliveries (FIFO) or first in, first out method)
FIFO – is a method for determining the value of a physical inventory based on the
assumption that units are used in the order of purchase, such that those remaining
in the physical inventory are the units most recently purchased
- Rotation of stocks reduces the possibilities of spoilage.

c. Availability according to use

- Storage facilities should be arranged so that the most frequently used items are
kept closest to the entrance; this arrangement tends to reduce the time required to
move needed foods from storage to production and thus tends to reduce labor
costs
3. Location of storage facilities
- for both perishables and nonperishables, storage facilities should be located
between receiving areas and preparation areas to facilitate the movement of foods
from receiving areas to storage and from storage to preparation areas
- dry storage areas should be sealed to reduce the risk of infestation
- A properly located storage facility will have four effects:
  Speeding the storing and issuing of food
 Maximizing security
 Reducing labor requirements
 Minimizing infestation of rodents and other unwanted creatures
1. Security
- Food should never be stored in a manner that permits pilferage
- Storeroom is kept open only at specific times, well known to the staff
- When storeroom is closed, it should be locked and the single key is kept by the
Storeroom Clerk.

2. Dating and pricing

- Date items as they are put away on shelves so that the Storeroom Clerk can be
certain of the age of all items and make provisions for their use before they can spoil
- All items should be priced as they are put away with the cost of each item clearly
marked on the package.

STANDARDS AND STANDARD PROCEDURES IN ISSUING

Elements in the Issuing Process
1. Physical movement of food from storage facilities to food preparation areas
- The practice of moving food from storage to preparation varies from one restaurant
to another.
- In some operations, all facilities are locked and cooks must list all their needs or
requisitions, which are turned over to a steward who sees to the issuing of the items
to preparation areas.
- In other operations, some of the storage facilities are locked (storeroom and walk-in
refrigerators for meat) while others are left unlocked (refrigerators containing
produce or leftovers).

2. Record keeping for issued foods

Food Directs
Directs are charged to food cost as they are received, on the assumption that these
perishable items have been purchased for immediate use. Theoretically, these foods will be
moved to appropriate facilities in or near the kitchen and will be used entirely in food
preparation on the day they are received.
For recordkeeping purposes, then, directs are treated as issued the
moment they are received, and no further record of particular items is kept. Waste,
pilferage, or spoilage of directs will result in unwarranted additions to food cost figures.

Food Stores
 The food category known as stores was previously described as consisting of staples.
When purchased, these foods are considered part of inventory until issued for use and are
not included in cost figures until they are issued. Therefore, it follows that records of issues
must be kept in order to determine the cost of stores. For control purposes, a system must be
established to ensure that no stores are issued unless kitchen personnel submit lists of the
items and quantities needed.

REQUISITION FORM – is a form filled in by a member of the kitchen staff which lists the
items and quantities the kitchen staff needs from stores for the current day’s
production
- Each requisition should be reviewed by the chef, who should check to see that all
required items are listed and that the quantity listed for each is accurate. If the list of
items and quantities is correct, the chef signs and thus approves the requisition. It is
next given to the storeroom clerk, who fills the order.

- Requisition form is submitted in advance to enable the Storeroom Clerk to prepare

the orders, usually one day ahead.

- There must be definite times for the Storeroom Clerk to issue food, preferably 2
hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon is recommended.

Illustration:
Supply Main Kitchen Department Date September 8
Quantity Description Unit Cost Total Cost
6 #10 can green peas ₱ 27.90 ₱ 167.40
50 Lbs. refined sugar ₱ 12.00 ₱ 600.00
40 Lbs. ground beef ₱ 150.00 ₱ 6,000.00
6 Trays eggs ₱ 200.00 ₱ 1,200.00
₱ 7,967.40

Charge to Food Department

________________________
Chef