Chapter 5

Food Storing and

Issuing Control
Principles of Food, Beverage, and Labour Cost Controls,
Canadian Edition
 Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

5.1 List and explain three causes of unplanned costs that can develop while food is
in storage.
5.2 List and explain five principal concerns that can be addressed by implementing
standards for storing food.
5.3 Explain the importance of establishing standards for storage temperatures for
foods, storage containers for foods, shelving, and cleanliness of storage facilities.
5.4 Identify optimum storage temperatures for the five classifications of perishable
foods.
5.5 Explain the importance of assigned locations for the storage of each particular
food.
5.6 Explain the principle of stock rotation as applied to food service.
5.7 Distinguish between issuing procedures for directs and those for stores.
5.8 Describe the process used to price and extend a food requisition.
5.9 Explain the difference between interunit and intraunit transfers, and give two
examples of each.
5.10 Explain the significance of transfers in determining accurate food costs.
Storing Control
Standards for food storage should address
these concerns:
1. Condition of facilities and equipment
2. Arrangement of foods
3. Location of facilities
4. Security of storage areas
5. Dating and pricing of stored foods
Proper Internal Conditions
Optimum Temperatures for Storing Food

Fresh meats 1 to 2C (34 to 36F)

Fresh produce 1 to 2C (34 to 36F)
Fresh dairy products 1 to 2C (34 to 36F)
Fresh fish -1 to 1C (30 to 34F)
Frozen foods -18 to -23C (-10 to 0F)
Proper Internal Conditions
Storage containers:
Staples (airtight, insect-proof)
Perishables (packed to maintain original quality)
Fresh Fish (packed in ice)
Cooked foods & open cans (stainless steel
containers)
Shelving:
Perishables (slatted shelving)
Nonperishables (solid steel shelving)
Cleanliness:
daily sweeping and cleaning
Arrangement of Foods
According to use
Most frequently used items closest to entrance
Fixing definite location
Each item always found in the same location
Separate facilities for storage of different classes
of foods
Rotation of stock
Older quantities of food used before newer
deliveries
First-in, first-out method of stock rotation
FIFO
FIFO (first-in, first-out) means that the operator
intends to rotate stock in such a way that
product already on hand is sold prior to the sale
of more recently delivered products.
FIFO is the preferred storage technique for most
perishable and non-perishable items.
Failure to implement a FIFO system of storage
management can result in excessive product
loss due to spoilage, shrinkage, and
deterioration of quality.
Location of Storage Facilities
Speeds the storing and issuing of food
Maximizes security
Reduces labour requirements
Helping to minimize infestation of rodents
Storage
Remember that storage costs money, in terms
of the space for items, and the money that is
tied up in inventory items.
In most establishments, the storage process
consists of four parts:
placing products in storage
maintaining product quality and safety
maintaining product security
determining inventory value
Storage
Some operators require the storeroom clerk to
mark or tag each delivered item with the date of
delivery.
Products are generally placed in one of three
major storage areas:
dry storage
refrigerated storage
frozen storage
Dry storage
Dry storage areas should generally be
maintained at a temperature ranging between
18C and 21C (65F and 70F).
Shelving must be sturdy, easy to clean, and at
least 15 cm (6 in.) above the floor to ensure
proper ventilation.
Dry goods should never be stored directly on
the floor. Labels should face out for easy
identification.
Refrigerated Storage
Refrigerator temperatures should generally be
maintained between 0C and 2C (32F 36F).
Refrigerators actually work by removing heat from
the contents, rather than "making" food cold.
Refrigerators should have easily cleaned shelving
units that are at least 15 cm (6 in) off the floor and
are slotted to allow for good air circulation.
Freezer Storage
Freezer temperatures should be maintained
between -18C and -23C (0F and -10F).
It is anticipated that in the future more and more
foodservice storage space will be devoted to
frozen food.
Frozen food holding units must be regularly
maintained, a process that includes cleaning
inside and out, and constant temperature
monitoring to detect possible improper
operation.
Stock Rotation
Regardless of the storage type, food and related
products should be stored neatly in some logical
order.
Food product quality rarely improves with
increased storage time.
The primary method for ensuring product quality
while in storage is through proper product
rotation and high standards of storeroom
sanitation.
Storage Areas
Storage areas are excellent breeding grounds
for insects, some bacteria, and also rodents. To
protect against these potentially damaging
hazards, you should insist on a regular cleaning
of all storage areas.
Both refrigerators and frozen food holding units
should be kept 15 24 cm (6 10 in.) from
walls to allow for the free circulation of air and
efficient operation of the units.
Other Storeroom Needs
Ideally, frozen food holding units and
refrigerators should have externally visible
internal thermometers, whether they are read as
a digital display, or in the more traditional
temperature scale.
In larger storage areas, hallways should be kept
clear and empty of storage materials or boxes.
Security
Most foodservice operators attempt to control
access to the location of stored products.
It is your responsibility to see to it that the
storeroom clerk maintains good habits in
securing product inventory.
As a general rule, if storerooms are to be
locked, only one individual should have the key
during any shift.
Product Security
Product security can be achieved if a few principles
are observed:
Food, beverages, and supplies should be requisitioned
only as needed based on approved production
schedules.
Required items (issues) should be issued only with
management approval.
If a written record of issues is to be kept, each person
removing food, beverages, or supplies from the
storage area must sign, acknowledging receipt of the
products.
Products that do not ultimately get used should be
returned to the storage area, and their return recorded.
Problems from Lack of Training
Foods stored in appropriate containers or at
improper temperatures
One single item stored in several locations
New deliveries stored in front of old
Increased pilferage if storage areas are not
secured
Values of issues unidentifiable because those
issuing foods have not recorded item prices on
requisitions
Product Issuing
Often, foodservice managers create difficulties
for their workers by developing a requisition
system that is far too time-consuming and
complicated.
The difficulty in such an approach usually arises
because management hopes to equate
products issued with products sold without
taking a physical inventory.
Requisitions
It is vital that a copy of the storeroom
requisition form be sent to the purchasing
agent after it has been used so that this
individual will have a sense of the movement of
product in and out of the storage areas.
The unit value is multiplied by the number of
units issued, called extending the requisition.
Transfers
Food or beverage products may be transferred
from one food service unit to another. For
example, it is likely that fruit juice, vegetables,
and similar items are taken from the kitchen for
use in the bar, while wine, sherry, and similar
items may be taken from the bar for use in the
kitchen.
Transfers out of the kitchen are subtracted from
the cost of food sold and transfers in to the
kitchen are added to the cost of food sold.
Food and Beverage Transfers
Intraunit Transfers
Between Bar and Kitchen
Cooking wines and spirits
Fruits, juices and dairy products
Between Kitchen and Kitchen
Large hotels that operate more than one kitchen
Interunit Transfers
Transfers of food and beverage between units in a
chain
Key Terms
Extending the requisition, p. 143
First-in, first-out (FIFO) method of stock rotation, p. 137
Interunit transfers, p. 146
Intraunit transfers, p. 144
Requisition, p. 141
Chapter Web Links
Comtrex POS software:
www.comtrex.com/html/restaurant_management_soft
ware.html

Food Storage FAQs: www.survival-

center.com/foodfaq/ff1-toc.htm

Culinary Software Services:

www.culinarysoftware.com

Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/fssae.shtml
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