Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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available from federal, state, or local sources. Prices and the extent of service for governmentsupported
programs are contracted in advance.
Other factors must be considered when studying the feasibility of or planning for the
implementation of off-site meal service. Appropriate operational standards for each functional
area, such as menu planning, production, and sanitation, must be maintained. Therefore, to
provide high-quality service to off-site locations, it is necessary to develop policies and procedures
specific to this type of service. Many of these will depend on whether the food is to be
provided to the customer in bulk quantities or as individual meals.
Quantity Meals
If the operation’s menus are carefully integrated, providing bulk food for other health care facilities
in the group or for congregate groups, such as community centers, does not require the
preparation of additional menu items, just larger quantities. Next, a means for maintaining food
temperature during transport is needed for all systems unless immediate delivery can be ensured.
Many operations use insulated carriers or carts. The assembly of meals and the loading of delivery
vehicles must be carefully integrated into the department’s total work schedule.
The potential problems of providing food in bulk include the failure to return service ware
and the excessive expense of disposable bulk food containers. Portion control at service time is
more difficult to achieve, and it may be more difficult to monitor special dietary needs among
community center attendees.
Individual Meals
Many communities attempt to provide direct home meal service to individuals who are unable
to prepare their own meals. One meal per day, which provides one-half to two-thirds of the
adult daily requirements five days a week, is the most common service provided. A cold meal
for later consumption also may be delivered at the same time as the hot meal. Mostly, meals
are pre-plated in the food service department on disposable insulated tableware.
Volunteers or other community agencies—in which case training for the volunteers is
required—often provide transport and delivery of meals to clients’ homes. They need to understand
the policies of the meal service program, details about special diets, food-handling procedures,
emergency procedures, and techniques for assessing a client’s general physical and
mental well-being at the time of meal delivery. Home-delivered meal programs not only provide
nutritional benefits for recipients, but they also play an important role in providing social
contact for isolated persons and in serving as a check on their well-being.
Another type of individual meal service implemented at some operations is the sale of
frozen meals for both normal and modified diets. These meals were originally developed for
customers with special nutritional needs, such as weight-control patients, the elderly, or patients
recently discharged from a facility. Operations that stock the meals for sale have found that
they also may appeal to consumers who typically buy microwavable meals. To provide this
service efficiently, food service directors need to help design mechanisms for the sale of these
products as part of the meal service system. For instance, sales to nonpatients may require a
location in the building with easy access to in-and-out parking. Other issues related to the feasibility
of such a venture include estimating consumer demand, determining operational costs
and capital requirements, and selecting an appropriate pricing method for the products. These
and other related factors should be thoroughly explored before the implementation of such a
venture.
Standards
Quality standards pertain to the evaluation of the quality of service and satisfaction of customers.
Certain standards must be monitored and, as appropriate, changes made when the
standards are not met.