FOOD PRODUCT FLOW

Food Flow
➢ Describes what happens to food from the time it enters your workplace until it is served
to customers
➢ It refers to the path from receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, serving, cooling
and reheating that food follows in a food-service operations.

8 Steps of Food Service Process:

1. Purchasing
2. Receiving
3. Storing
4. Preparing
5. Cooking
6. Holding & Serving
7. Cooling
8. Reheating
PURCHASING
Guidelines for Purchasing

a. Vendor:
● Meet Public Health standards
● Train employees for sanitation
● Have a clean delivery trucks with adequate refrigeration and freezer
● Deliver foods in protective, leak proof, durable packaging
● Organize deliveries to separate raw products from
● processed foods and produced

b. Purchaser
● Work with vendor
● Food delivery schedule
● Vendor standardized procedures in print
● Purchase specification
● Vendor sanitation report
● Visit warehouse periodically
● Reject all products that does not meet requirement
RECEIVING
Food Safety Guidelines for Receiving

a. Train employees for receiving duties

b. Organize space, equipment and lighting for receiving efficiency
c. Inspect delivery trucks
d. Inspect food immediately

Criteria in Receiving Foods

(Checklists)
Types of Thermometer
a. Bi Metallic Stemmed Thermometer
- Most commonly used in the food service operations
➢ Reads in 1-2 minutes
 ➢ Place 2-21⁄2" deep in thickest part of food
➢ Can be used in roasts, casseroles, and soups
➢ Not appropriate for thin foods
➢ Can remain in food while it's cooking
➢ Heat conduction of metal stem can cause false
➢ high reading

b. Digital Thermometer
➢ Reads in 10 seconds
➢ Place at least "1⁄2" deep
➢ Gives fast reading
➢ Can measure temperature in thin and thick foods
➢ Not designed to remain in food while it's cooking
➢ Check internal temperature of food near the end of cooking time

Calibrating Thermometers
1. Ice Point Method :
The ice point method is used most often unless a thermometer cannot register a
temperature of 320F (00C)
● Fill a glass with crushed ice. Add water until glass is full.
● Place thermometer in the center of the glass of ice water, not touching the bottom
or sides of the glass.
● Agitate the glass of ice water to ensure even temperature
● Temperature should register at 320F
● Adjust the calibration nut by holding it with pliers. If using digital thermometer,
push the reset button to 320F

2. Boiling Point Method:

This method may be less reliable than ice point method because of variation due to high
altitude.
● Using a deep pan, bring the water into boil
● Place thermometer in the center of the pan boiling water, not touching the bottom
or sides of the pan. Wait until indicator stops.
● The temperature should hold the temperature of 2120F. Adjust the calibration nut
by holding it with pliers and set to read at 2120F. If using digital thermometer,
push the reset button to 2120F while the water is still boiling.
● For high altitude, for each 550 feet above sea level, the boiling point of water is
10F lower than the standard of 2020F
Using Temperature
a. Clean and sanitize after every use.
b. Wait till rests; 15 seconds
c. Take three measurements
d. Calibrate Routinely
e. Insert thermometer stem or probe into thickest part of product
f. Never use mercury or spirit-filled glass thermometers to check food temperature

Checking Temperature of Various Food

● Packaged
– insert between two packages
● Milk
– open a carton and insert two inches in
● Frozen
– insert between two packages

STORING
Food Safety Guidelines for Storing:
● Dry storage-long holding for less perishable items
● Refrigerator-short-term for perishable items
● Deep-chilling unit-spec. foods for short time
● Freezer-long term food storage

Types of Storage Areas Dry Storage

Foods Typically Store in Dry Storage
● Canned goods, baking supplies (salt, sugar), grains (rice, cereals)
● Some fruits (banana, avocado, pears)
● Some vegetables (onion, potatoes)

Guidelines for Dry Storage

a. Maintain storage temperature (500F-700F)
b. Keep store room clean and dry
c. Have a regular cleaning schedule for all surface and floors
d. 5C-60C
 e. Keep food in labeled, tight fitting containers with name and delivery date
f. Use the First In First Out method of inventory. Store new products behind the old
products
g. Protect food from contamination with regular pest control
h. Store chemicals away from food
i. Look for damaged, spoiled foods, bulging cans, infested packages, and foods
immediately and clean the area thoroughly
j. Discard or destroy all contaminated foods

Cold Storage – Refrigerator Storage

Guidelines for Cold Storage

a. Arrange food in refrigerators to allow maximum air circulation
b. All food should be labeled with the following ( name of the food item, dater, time,
temperature)
c. Store food in a clean, non absorbent, covered container. Be sure All container are
properly sealed
d. Cool hot foods using an ice water bath, and stirring with cold paddles
e. Before storing inside the refrigerator. Never place hot foods in the refrigerator. This allow
other foods under Temperature Danger Zone
f. Store dairy products separately with foods in strong odor (onion, Cabbage and sea
foods)
g. Store fruits in a separate section in a refrigerator from vegetables.
h. The ethylene gas released by some fruits during ripening causes some vegetables to
deteriorate rapidly.
i. To avoid cross contamination, store raw foods, uncooked foods away or below from
prepared or ready to eat food.
j. Never allow fluids from raw poultry, fish or meat to come into contact with other foods
k. Don’t overload the refrigerator
RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURE AND MAX PERIOD
OF STORAGE FOR SELECTED FOOD ITEMS

Fruits that need ripening should not be refrigerated. Leave at room temperature until
ripe, then refrigerate as above.
PREPARATION
4 Safe Methods to Thaw Foods
a. Inside the refrigerator at the temp. of 410F or below.
b. Under cold running water
c. In a microwave oven
d. As a part of cooking process

Guidelines for Pre-Preparation

Pre-preparation usually takes place at room temp., this stage is
one of the most common points of contamination and cross
contamination.

a. Wash hands correctly before preparing foods.

b. Don’t prepare in advance if it’s not necessary.
c. Prepare food in small batches and place them immediately inside the refrigerator
d. Wash fruits and vegetables prior to peeling and cooking
e. Keep raw products from ready to eat foods
f. Wash hands, sanitize cutting boards, knives after every food preparation
g. Use batter, marinade in single use only and discard if there are some left.
h. Use single use gloves properly

COOKING
Guidelines for Cooking foods
a. Stir foods cooked in deep pots frequently to ensure even heat distribution
b. Avoid overloading fryers
c. Regulate uniform size and thickness of meat and vegetable to ensure even cooking.
d. Never interrupt cooking process. Partially cooked meat may encourage bacterial growth.
e. Use clean and accurate thermometer to monitor internal temperature.
Cooking Requirements for Specific Foods

HOLDING & SERVING

Holding Hot Food
Do’s
a. Only use hot-holding equipment that can keep food hot all the time
b. Stir food at regular intervals to distribute heat evenly
c. Keep food covered.
d. Check internal food temperatures at least every two hours using food thermometer
e. Discard potentially hazardous food after four hours if it has not been held at or above
1400F
f. Never mix freshly prepared food with food being held for service

Don’t
a. Never use hot-hold equipment to reheat equipment to reheat food
b. Never mix freshly prepared food with food being held for service.

Holding Cold Food

Do’s
a. Only use cold-holding equipment that can keep food at 410F or lower.
b. Check internal food temperatures at least every two hours.
c. Protect food from contaminants with covers
Don’t
a. Do not store food directly on ice. Place food in pans or plates first

Serving Food
Do’s
a. Store serving utensils properly
b. Use serving utensils with long handles
c. Use clean and sanitized utensils for serving
d. Practice good personal hygiene
e. Minimize bare-hand contact with cooked and ready to eat food
f. Handle glassware and dishes properly.
g. Hold flatware and utensils by handles.
h. Use plastic or metal scoops or tongs to get ice.
i. Never use cloth meant for cleaning food spills for any other purpose.

Don’t
a. Never stack glassware or dishes when serving.
b. If possible, do not assign employees to more than one job during a shift

COOLING & REHEATING

a. Food being cooled in the refrigerator should be loosely covered.
b. Use shallow, pre-chilled pans (not more than 4 inches deep)
c. Stainless steel container cool faster than plastic
d. Use quick chill unit rather than refrigerator
e. Pre-chill foods in a freezer for about 30 minutes before refrigerating.
f. Never cool food at room temperature
g. Reheat food only one time at a temp of 1650F for 15 seconds
h. Never mix left over food with freshly cooked food
CLEANING & SANITIZING