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Help: the market is shifting
5. Control use of ingredients with proper scaling
Controlling scaling weights, both with the original batch mixing and unit weight in processing, must be a high priority for any baker or restaurant with a food factory.
While scaling for initial batch mixing, the cost of reckless scaling adds up, both on occasionally-used and expensive ingredients, or compounded on commonly used ingredients such as flour and water.
When dividing a bread dough or batter into individual units, in the past it may have been easier to stay above minimum finished weights for labeling unit weight claims by scaling unnecessarily heavy, as compared to processing more accurately. Reviewing scaling accuracies can yield tens of thousands of units a month that can be sold, or smaller batch sizes for the same current production volumes.
6. Review ingredient specification agreements
Firm up agreements with ingredient suppliers, and have them deliver to standards that will be accepted at delivery. Making the ingredient suppliers aware of your specific needs, what is within acceptable variance, what will be rejected vastly minimizes quality, cost and consistency problems which if unchecked can result in huge capital drains.
Having specification declarations with each new batch of incoming ingredients, and nutritional declaration sheets if any significant changes occur to the nutritional profile, has become a must for a number of reasons.
If there is a change in the ingredient nutritional profile, density or quality attribute, and you are not notified of a change, you can minimize legal exposure for some recalls if the ingredient supplier has been put on notice of your requirements and that they’re required to notify concerning any changes. This can not only protect your brand name, nutritional declarations updated when there are changes, along with specification sheets that accompany each shipment, will also minimize daily variances in production that lead to quality, yield and waste increases.
Click here for a more on managing ingredient specification agreements.
7. Review how you manage inventory
Overordering is a problem during downturns, as operators sometimes are guilty of over-optimism. This will impact cash flow, and can result in spoilage.
Some food factories also spend a tremendous amount of money purchasing ingredients above usual cost. They have to make emergency purchases from nontraditional suppliers, or even send employees in delivery vehicles to pick things up when their inventories are insufficient or poorly managed. Ingredients are lost as wasted when too much is on hand; the cost of storage space, especially if cold stored, can be similarly abused. Minimizing the suppliers used and the varieties of similar ingredients can greatly simplify handling ingredients. It can also reduce confusion over ordering, and make tracking easier. Do you need help managing your inventory?
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