Ensuring Food Quality: From Suppliers to Commercial Kitchens Report

This report examines the crucial aspects of maintaining food quality throughout the supply chain, from suppliers to commercial kitchens. It begins with an introduction to food perishability and preservation methods, highlighting the evolution from traditional techniques like salting and drying to modern cold storage solutions such as chillers and freezers. The report details the principles suppliers, specifically Jina’s World of Fresh Produce (fruits and vegetables) and Coq Au Vin (chicken), employ to ensure freshness and high standards, including adherence to hygiene regulations, sorting, cleaning, fungicide treatment, waxing, sizing, grading, packing, and appropriate storage temperatures. It also addresses the challenges suppliers face, such as high operational costs, changing customer perceptions, wastage, unstable food prices, and technical glitches. Furthermore, the report outlines the procedures LCB Pep Kitchen follows upon receiving food products, including inspection, recording dates, assessing temperature and condition, and proper storage techniques to prevent spoilage and maintain quality. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of high-quality food products for profitability and customer satisfaction, underscoring the need for adherence to established protocols by both suppliers and commercial kitchens.

Running head
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Executive summary
The report is on food quality from suppliers to a commercial kitchen. There is a detailed
introduction which is followed by a comprehensive literature review. The literature review
highlights how suppliers retain quality of food and the process commercial kitchens follow
when receiving food production and their storage. Followed by that is a brief conclusion on the
report which is followed by a list of references from where the information was sourced.

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Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................5
Principles suppliers use to maintain freshness and high standard of produce..........................................6
Environment suppliers use to work with the produce...........................................................................6
Process they follow to maintain quality products..................................................................................6
Challenges suppliers face.......................................................................................................................8
Procedures when food is received.............................................................................................................9
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................11
References...............................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Food can be categorized as one of the commodity highly prone to perishability. Over the years,
people have come up with ways to ensure that food is well stored to ensure it maintains it
quality and freshness. In the early years, the methods that were adopted for preservation were
“primitive” and they included; salting, drying, among others. (Skåra, et al 2015). However, over
the years, technology played in and now food can be preserved via cold storage. There are two
types of cold storage adopted that is; chillers and freezers. Chillers are used to store foods in
temperature of below 40c but are not essentially meant to be frozen. The temperature is
maintained at about 30c and the commodities stored include vegetables and fruits. (Thu, et al
2017).On the other hand, freezers store food that is best preserved in below 180c and is mostly
meat products. (Burgess, 2015). However, despite the fact that cold storages can preserve food
in a fresh form, their taste can deteriorate over time. In this report, the focus will be on receiving
and storage of food from suppliers to a commercial kitchen. A team of students will tour the
LCB Pep Kitchen to establish their principles of receiving and storage. The students will also
tour the suppliers who are Jina’s World of Fresh Produce and Coq Au Vin. Jina’s World of
Fresh produce are responsible for supply of fruits and vegetables while Coq Au Vin are
responsible for supply of chicken meat.

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Principles suppliers use to maintain freshness and high standard of produce
Given the high expectation of fresh food in the market by the customers, suppliers have devised
ways to ensure food products are transported in a manner that will ensure the same. However,
this process begins from when they receive the food products. Suppliers basically receive food
from the producers (farmers) and ensure that the same reaches the commercial kitchens.
Environment suppliers use to work with the produce
The New Zealand Food Hygiene Regulation 1974 act regulates and outlines the environment
that suppliers are expected to operate in legally. To ensure that the environment is hygienic, the
following must be adhered to:
 Maintenance of a clean environment
 Ensuring there is a cleaning schedule and that it is strictly followed
 The should adhere strictly to good personal hygiene and also understanding cross
contamination
 There should be clean toilets for the workers with hand-washing facilities
 The hand-washing facilities should have clean running water and sanitizing facilities
Process they follow to maintain quality products
The following process applies for both fruits and vegetables by Jina’s World of Fresh Produce
1. Receipt and Inspection
This process includes receiving the fruits and vegetables from the producers. The products are
then weighted, sampled for quality and then the details are recorded.
2. Sorting
This is the second stage. This involves removal of bad produce and foreign materials such as
stones and soil. Since fruits and vegetables are easily contaminated, the produce is checked for
any fruits or vegetables that may be rotting to avoid spreading to the good produce. All the
discarded materials should be thrown away as soon as possible.
3. Cleaning and washing

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Vegetables and fruits are cleaned to remove any dirt. It also removes any chemicals that were
applied during production. Fruits such as oranges and apples and root tubers are also thoroughly
cleaned to remove latex stains acquired due to bad harvesting and handling. Fresh water should
always be used since recycled water may contain decay organisms which cause rotting. The
washed produced should be aired well in good ventilation to ensure rapid drying and prevent
rotting. (Basso, et al, 2017).
4. Fungicide treatment
This is done to fruits. After washing, fungicide is applied either by dipping or spraying to
prevent rotting caused by bacteria or molds causing rotting. (Parafati, et al 2015)
5. Waxing
This is the application of wax to ensure that the produce is not dehydrated and also to give the
fruit an appealing look. (De León-Zapata, et al 2015).
6. Sizing and grading
Before packing, goods are sorted for size and quality.
7. Packing
The produce is then packed accordingly in special crates. Jina’s World of Fresh Fruits usually
use organic boxes made of wood.
8. Storage
The fruits and vegetables are then stored in cold treatment. The cold storage rooms are chillers
where the temperature is about 30 C as the good wait for transportation to clients. Also, to
ensure quality is maintained during transportation, the transport vehicles are equipped with cold
storage facilities.
The following process applies for chicken
It should be noted that Coq Au Vin supplies chicken which has already been chopped to pieces.
1. Receipt and slaughtering

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Once the supplier receives the chicken, they are slaughtered in a humane way.
2. Cleaning and chilling
After the insides of the chicken are removed, the carcasses are washed with clean water and an
organic rinse is done as a measure to reduce bacteria. Before chilling, the carcasses are
inspected by the company’s food safety personnel for quality and consumption safety. After this
the chicken are kept in chillers to ensure its freshness.
3. Inspection by the New Zealand food safety body, MAF
On behalf of the government, MAF inspects the meat to ensure it is free of diseases, bruises and
any fecal matter. This ensures safety of the meat for consumption. Any carcass found culpable
is removed from line and the issue is addressed. Micro biological tests are also conducted on
the company equipment to ensure further safety.
4. Cutting
The carcasses are then cut into small pieces such as drumsticks, breasts and wings. Each piece is
inspected to ensure its safety, wholesomeness and quality.
5. Packing
The chicken pieces are packed in trays and then chilled to ensure a long shelf life and safe
handling instructions are attached to them. Sell by dates are also attached. The packed chicken
meat also contains a stamp by the MAF to assure customer of safety.
6. Transportation
The meat is transported by road whereby the vehicles contain cold storage facilities to ensure
their freshness before reaching their destination.
Challenges suppliers face
1. High cost of maintaining and operation the cooling systems.
2. There is increased awareness among customers about the health hazards related to meat
and poultry intake thus reducing sales.( Palomo-Vélez, Tybur, & van Vugt, 2018).
3. High wastage due to storage of products in cold facilities for a long time thus changing
their flavor. (Varoquaux & Wiley, 2017)

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4. Unstable food prices due to market push or market push as some vegetables and fruits
are seasonal. Also, customers expect consistence in supply and this may also be hindered
due to seasonality of produce. (Fama, & French, 2016).
5. Technical glitches. In case of technical failure in their cooling systems, the result is huge
losses due to wastage as frozen and chilled foods quickly go bad once temperature
increases.
Procedures when food is received
Once the food products are received by LCB Pep Kitchen, there is a process that follows. The
protocol is as follows:
1. Inspection
After receiving the food products from the respective suppliers, LCB Pep Kitchen inspects
them. This is to establish that they are the products ordered, are of the stipulated weight and
quality as per the order. Any damage incurred to food stuffs is also assessed in this stage.
2. Recording of dates
This is the second phase and it involves checking and recording of the expiry of the products
received. Also, date of receiving the products is also recorded for future reference.
3. Temperature, Condition
The kitchen then looks at the condition of the food products and the temperature they were
stored in and current temperature.
4. Signing off, rejection
After checking and recording the dates, good are either accepted or rejected. In case of
acceptance, the kitchen then signs off with the supplier by signing of the delivery form.
5. Storage of the foods
After signing off, the good which now satisfy the kitchen order are taken a way for storage in
cold facilities. Vegetables and fruits are stored in chillers while chicken meat is stored in

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freezers for freezing. The storage facilities should not be over-crowded to ensure good
circulation of air. To reducing wilting and as a result of water loss, leafy vegetables such as
kales should be stored in perforated plastic bags. Leafy tops of root tubers should be removed to
extend their shelf life. Some foods such as potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, lemons are best stored
in a cool and dry atmosphere. Fruits that need to ripen should not be stored in cold storage
facilities as this reduces the ripening process. (Watson, et al 2015).
6. Organization of goods and records kept
The storage facilities should not be over-crowded to ensure good circulation of air. Fruits and
vegetables should never be stored together as production of ethylene can build up which will
result to spoilage. (Wills & Golding, 2016). Onions should be stored separately from other fruits
and vegetables as they produce chemicals which hasten their ripening and rotting. (Dhingra &
Hendrickson, 2017). Root tubers should preferably be stored on the ground in cold storage
rooms. Further recording is done of there the produce was stored and what date and time and the
records should be kept safely for reference.

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Conclusion
High quality and freshness of food products is highly essential if they are to be profitable by
avoiding wastage and satisfying customers. It has been established that freezers prolong the
shelf life of vegetables and fruits. However, not all foods should be stored in cold facilities
while it should be noted that some foods as indicated should be stored separately. Also, there
are procedures and protocols to be followed by both suppliers and commercial kitchens when
receiving and handling food products.

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References
Basso, M., Simonato, M., Furlanetto, R., & De Nardo, L. (2017). Study of chemical
environments for washing and descaling of food processing appliances: An insight in
commercial cleaning products. Journal of industrial and engineering chemistry, 53, 23-
36.
Burgess, T. (2015). The Effects of External Temperature on the Energy Consumption of
Household Refrigerator-Freezers and Freezers (Doctoral dissertation).
De León-Zapata, M. A., Sáenz-Galindo, A., Rojas-Molina, R., Rodríguez-Herrera, R., Jasso-
Cantu, D., & Aguilar, C. N. (2015). Edible candelilla wax coating with fermented
extract of tarbush improves the shelf life and quality of apples. Food packaging and
shelf life, 3, 70-75.
Dhingra, A., & Hendrickson, C. (2017). U.S. Patent No. 9,591,847. Washington, DC: U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office.
Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (2016). Commodity futures prices: Some evidence on forecast
power, premiums, and the theory of storage. In The World Scientific Handbook Of
Futures Markets (pp. 79-102).
Palomo-Vélez, G., Tybur, J. M., & van Vugt, M. (2018). Unsustainable, unhealthy, or
disgusting? Comparing different persuasive messages against meat consumption.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 58, 63-71.
Parafati, L., Vitale, A., Restuccia, C., & Cirvilleri, G. (2015). Biocontrol ability and action
mechanism of food-isolated yeast strains against Botrytis cinerea causing post-harvest
bunch rot of table grape. Food microbiology, 47, 85-92.

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Skåra, T., Axelsson, L., Stefánsson, G., Ekstrand, B., & Hagen, H. (2015). Fermented and
ripened fish products in the northern European countries. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2(1),
18-24.
Thu, K., Saththasivam, J., Saha, B. B., Chua, K. J., Murthy, S. S., & Ng, K. C. (2017).
Experimental investigation of a mechanical vapour compression chiller at elevated
chilled water temperatures. Applied Thermal Engineering, 123, 226-233.
Varoquaux, P., & Wiley, R. C. (2017). Biological and biochemical changes in minimally
processed refrigerated fruits and vegetables. In Minimally processed refrigerated fruits
and vegetables (pp. 153-186). Springer, Boston, MA.
Watson, J. A., Treadwell, D., Sargent, S. A., Brecht, J. K., & Pelletier, W. (2015). Postharvest
storage, packaging and handling of specialty crops: a guide for Florida small farm
producers. Florida: University of Florida.
Wills, R., & Golding, J. (2016). Postharvest: an introduction to the physiology and handling of
fruit and vegetables. UNSW press.