Foodservice Professionals Research Articles

“Online Cloud Kitchen”: A Virtual Kitchen

Abstract— The food industry has undergone significant transformations in recent years, with the emergence of cloud kitchens presenting a novel approach to food production and delivery. This research paper explores the concept of a cloud kitchen website that facilitates collaboration between various restaurants and offers two distinct modules: a user module for ordering and a comprehensive admin module for managing operations. Through an examination of industry trends, technological advancements, and case studies, this paper elucidates the potential of such a platform to revolutionize the food service sector, enhance customer experience, and streamline business operations. The food industry has witnessed a profound evolution in recent years, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer preferences. Central to this transformation is the rise of cloud kitchens, innovative culinary hubs designed for efficient food production and delivery. This research paper explores the concept of a cloud kitchen website that not only serves as a platform for ordering food but also fosters collaboration between diverse restaurants, thereby expanding menu offerings and enriching the culinary experience for consumers. The study examines the intersection of cloud kitchen models, online food delivery platforms, and restaurant collaboration strategies to elucidate the potential of such a platform in revolutionizing the food service sector. Through a comprehensive analysis of industry trends, technological frameworks, and case studies, this paper seeks to provide actionable insights for entrepreneurs, food service professionals, and technology enthusiasts interested in harnessing the power of digital innovation to drive growth and innovation in the food industry. Keywords – Cloud kitchen, Ghost kitchen, Remote kitchen, Digital kitchen, Kitchen as a service (KaaS), Delivery-only kitchen, Centralized kitchen

The Benefits and Challenges of Providing School Meals during the First Year of California's Universal School Meal Policy as Reported by School Foodservice Professionals.

States in the U.S. are newly implementing universal school meal (USM) policies, yet little is known about the facilitators of their success and the challenges they confront. This study evaluated the challenges and facilitators faced by school food authorities (SFAs) implementing California's universal school meal (USM) policy during its inaugural year (2022-2023) using an online survey. In March 2023, 430 SFAs reported many benefits, including increased meal participation (64.2% of SFAs) and revenues (65.7%), reduced meal debt (41.8%) and stigma (30.9%), and improved meal quality (44.3%) and staff salaries (36.9%). Reported challenges include product/ingredient availability (80.9%), staffing shortages (77.0%), vendor/distributor logistics issues (75.9%), and administrative burden (74.9%). Top facilitators included state funding (78.2%) and increased federal reimbursement (77.2%). SFAs with fewer students eligible for free or reduced-price meals (as opposed to SFAs with more) reported greater increases in meal participation and reductions in stigma but also more administrative burdens. Larger SFAs reported greater increases in revenues, staff salaries, and improvements in meal quality than smaller SFAs but also more challenges. Overall, California's USM policy has enhanced student access to healthy meals while mitigating social and financial barriers. Understanding California's experience can inform other jurisdictions considering or implementing similar policies.

Validation of the IDDSI funnel for liquid flow testing.

In 2017, the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) introduced the IDDSI flow test which enables patients, clinicians, caregivers, food service professionals and researchers to classify liquid thickness into five levels based on the volume of liquid remaining in a standard 10 mL slip tip syringe after 10 s of flow under gravity. Within a few months of publishing the IDDSI flow test instructions, several barriers emerged: (1) the preferred model of syringe (BD 303134) was not equally accessible around the world, causing some users to perform flow tests with alternate models of syringe; (2) differences in syringe geometry across models led to variations in IDDSI flow test results; and (3) the need to use a second syringe for sample loading added complexity and cost to end users. To address these barriers, IDDSI designed the IDDSI funnel, a novel device, which combines the geometry of the BD 303134 syringe with a kitchen funnel to facilitate easy loading of liquid samples without need for a second syringe. In this report, we compare the IDDSI flow test results across two devices: syringe BD 303134 and IDDSI funnel. IDDSI level classifications were in complete agreement with the syringe reference test results in 67/73 (92%) of the test fluids and temperature conditions with mean difference of residual liquid across devices of 0.2 (2% full scale). These results demonstrate excellent correspondence between the two devices.

Food Service Professionals’ Competencies in Managing Food Allergies and Intolerances: A South African Perspective

The prevalence of food allergies and intolerances (FAI) has been rising significantly, yet there are no effective solutions to manage their impact. South Africa’s tourism sector is pursuing to attract more visitors to bolster its performance. Most of South Africa’s international tourists come from Western countries, where food allergies and intolerances are common. Consequently, an increasing proportion of tourists with these health concerns are cautious about traveling to destinations that might not guarantee expertise in managing food allergies. In food service, the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP)-Gap theory serves as a tool to assess the alignment between food service professionals’ understanding and perceptions of food allergies and intolerances and their actual practices in addressing these dietary needs. This study enriches the academic discourse by examining the KAP-Gap among South African food service professionals in managing food allergies and intolerances. In this qualitative study, 12 comprehensive interviews were undertaken using an inductive methodology, which underwent manual thematic content analysis to identify recurring patterns. The primary respondents were food service professionals from full-service restaurants in South Africa, notably head chefs and food service managers. Data collection was facilitated through semi-structured interviews. The findings highlighted a significant knowledge gap regarding effective FAI management strategies. This lack of awareness poses potential risks to tourists with food allergies or intolerances when they eat outside their homes, especially in unfamiliar locales. While communication on allergies often leaned towards avoiding legal complications, the overall staff attitude was positive and adaptable, essential for addressing FAI-specific requirements. The study suggests practical implications and best practices, including enhanced food labeling and developing allergy response strategies, and suggests potential training and infrastructural enhancements. There is also an implication for reconsidering legislative frameworks in managing food allergies and intolerances.

Preparations offered to workers in different food services: application of the score for qualitative assessment of preparations.

The quality of preparations offered in the workplace can vary according to the different segments of food services and may impact the health of the workers. This study aimed to qualitatively assess the food preparation offered to workers in from different food services. A total of 384 preparations were offered to workers in Curitiba City, Brazil. The preparations from three different segments of food services were evaluated: commercial (pilot study), non-commercial, and outsourced, selected for convenience. To identify the preparations, the nutritionist was interviewed, and the production process was monitored. The Score for Qualitative Assessment of Preparations (EAQP) was applied to evaluate the preparations, and they were classified according to their quality: high, intermediate, low, and very low quality. The chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests with post-hoc Least Significant Difference (LSD) Test were used. Most of the preparations were of high quality (72.9%), using mainly the unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. The preparations offered by the non-commercial food service provider had a better mean quality score when compared to other food services (p < 0.01). This study outcome is essential to help food service professionals to decide and choose the ingredients used in the preparations.

Providing School Meals to All Students Free of Charge during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: Challenges and Benefits Reported by School Foodservice Professionals in California.

Universal school meals (USM) have the potential to increase access to healthy food for millions of U.S. students. This study evaluated school food authorities’ (SFA) perspectives of federal USM in response to COVID-19 (school year (SY) 2021–22) and California’s upcoming USM policy in the SY 2022–23. In February 2022, all SFAs in California (n = 1116) were invited to complete an online survey. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression examining differences by school demographic characteristics were used. Five hundred and eighty-one SFAs completed the survey; 63% of them first implemented USM during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reported benefits included increased student meal participation (79.2%) and reduced stigma (39.7%). Top challenges included staffing (76.9%) and meal packaging/solid waste (67.4%). Nearly all SFAs reported pandemic-related challenges procuring the necessary types (88.9%) and amounts of foods (85.9%), and non-food supplies/equipment (82.6%). Over 40% reported that federal reimbursements were insufficient to cover costs. SFAs with <40% FRPM-eligible students and/or higher student enrollment reported more current challenges and future concerns than those with ≥40% FRPMs and lower student enrollment. The top resources requested to implement CA’s USM included additional facilities/equipment (83.8%), communications/marketing (76.1%), increasing meal participation (71.5%), and financial management (61.5%). Most California SFAs reported that implementing federal USM had the intended effect of feeding more children. This study’s findings may be useful to the several other U.S. states implementing universal school meals in the SY 2022–23, and to other states or countries considering adopting a USM policy in the future.

Food consumption and plate waste study in a public hospital food service in Natal, RN, Brazil

Aiming to better understand the food waste and eating habits of diners, this study determined, by sex, food consumption and plate waste in the lunch meal served to employees at a public hospital in Natal, RN, Brazil, during one week. Men consumed 34% more than women did. The average consumption of the week by men and women was 469 g. Women wasted, on average, 9% of what they placed on their plates, or 39 g per day. Men wasted, on average, 5% of what they placed on their plates, discarding 34 grams of food per day. According to these results, women wasted 4% more than men did. The average PW% of the week was of 7.7% (37 g per capita per day). The food wasted during the 5 days of distribution would have been enough to serve lunch to a total of 122 diners. The data here provided are useful for several reasons, as this study may be used as reference to evaluate food waste more accurately in the food service, to elaborate educational material to create awareness among diners and food service professionals, and to estimate the financial impact of food waste on the budget. One of the highlights of this study is the provision of data on the consumption and plate waste (% and in grams) not only by the whole population studied, but discriminated considering women and men, which is not the most conventional way presented by studies.

154 Efficacy of a Virtual Operation Main Street in Changing Perceptions of Pork Production

Abstract The objective of the virtual Operation Main Street (OMS) program was to provide a live, interactive experience to educate audiences anywhere in the world about modern pork production. National Pork Board’s OMS began in 2004 to train pork producers to share their stories to improve the image of pig farming. Since its inception, they have trained &amp;gt;1,300 producers influencing &amp;gt;240,000 people However, there are locations that don’t have access to OMS speakers, and because presenters use slides, it doesn’t provide a real-time experience of being in the barn. Therefore, the virtual OMS was developed through a collaborative effort between the National Pork Board, Eidson &amp; Partners, and South Dakota State University (SDSU). After a formal interview process, students participate in a 2-day OMS training. Students are trained to cover a set of defined speaking points, but discuss them in their own words. Each live tour is conducted in the SDSU Swine Unit, and is done entirely by the student on her/his own cellphone. Tours last approximately 10 minutes, with the audience asking questions at any time through a moderator at the venue. The first virtual tour was given on December 7, 2017, and since then there have been a total of 133 tours impacting 24,558 people. Audiences include Veterinary Colleges, high schools, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals. In the last year, 51 tours were given to 1,678 people in 22 different states. Respondents to a Google survey offered at the end of every virtual tour stated the presentation and tour resulted in a &amp;gt;60% increase in a positive opinion of the pork industry. Virtual OMS is an impactful method to dispel myths about modern pig farming, and creates a personal connection between the faces of pork production and consumers.

Combining culinary art with food science

Combining culinary art with food science

More variable food and nutrition services for young old

Abstract Aging population means more costs on health services by frailty, illnesses and malnutrition. Good nutrition and suitable food services can prevent life quality loss and costly consequences. The young old, retired and home living, not receiving municipal services yet, could benefit minor nutritional support and new services helping them keep functionality. However, few services are targeting the young old. Providing new food or nutrition services for people still in good condition might prevent costly care later. The aim is to identify new service ideas and designs for the young old. The project started as part of Agefood-project (Valve et al 2018) and continued with students in 2019. Methods The service ideas and designs were produced in three future workshops, in Jyväskylä (n = 38, food service professionals, service developers, nutritionists), Mikkeli (n = 15, food service and home care professionals, elderly) and Lahti (n = 11, elderly and nutritionist) in 2018. In the next phase, service designs were further developed by students. The service ideas and designs are categorized and analyzed qualitatively. Results Together 443 new service ideas were produced, and 56 preliminary service designs. The student group produced 77 service designs. The categories of ideas are: choosing possibilities, developing meal quality, guiding and education, technological possibilities, eating together, support, and old services. The service designs were classified the following groups: home delivered food, service supports eating at home, technological solutions, eating together. Discussion Many ideas and designs need co-operation with public health people and business. The service ideas and designs need further development, but some are very promising, like personal nutrition trainer, e-learning for elderly care personnel. Better and more variable food and nutrition services can help people live at home longer. The ideas and service designs mirror the public discussion on the time.

FP8 Louisiana TNTG: Two Unique Approaches to Healthier School Nutrition Environments

Objective The Louisiana Team Nutrition Training Grant program (LA TNTG) is in place to create healthier school nutrition environments and encourage healthier eating behaviors among students. Description The LA TNTG program is applying two unique approaches to reaching students and school communities around the state. LA TNTG has awarded a [competitive] mini-grant of $5,000 and technical assistance to 15 schools. These resources support classroom nutrition curriculum, smarter lunchroom (SL) strategies, and creative projects or campaigns to engage students in healthier food practices. Simultaneously, in conjunction with the Louisiana Culinary Institute, LA TNTG is providing school food service professionals from these and other schools, with hands-on Culinary Training designed to improve critical food preparation skills. Evaluation Grade specific pre/post classroom surveys have been developed to capture change in nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among nutrition curriculum participants. Photos and stories are being collected from schools to document their local, innovative food/nutrition projects. An initial and six-month follow-up Culinary skills survey was developed and is being implemented among culinary training participants to capture changes in cooking skills, food-prep knowledge, food appreciation, and attitudes toward work. Increased use of SL strategies is being measured as annual improvements on SL score cards. School production records and meal participant numbers for the 15 mini-grant schools are being tracked over the grant period to identify changes in consumption of key foods or meals. And the CDC School Health Index is being used to track change in nutrition environment over the TNTG period. Conclusion and Implications Still in the early stages, LA TNTG is poised to influence student eating behaviors through nutrition education, modifications to food service practices, and inspiring food-related activities. Opportunities presented through the LA TNTG could motivate long-term healthier behaviors among students, teachers, food service workers and their families.

The perception of school food-service professionals on the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: a mixed-methods study.

To: (i) understand the nutrition attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge and practices of school food-service personnel (SFP) in Nebraska and (ii) identify potential barriers that schools face in offering healthy school meals that meet the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards. Convergent parallel mixed-methods study. Kindergarten-12th grade schools in Nebraska, USA.ParticipantsSFP (260 survey participants; fifteen focus group participants) working at schools that participate in the USDA National School Lunch Program. Mixed-methods themes identified include: (i) 'Mixed attitudes towards healthy meals', which captured a variety of conflicting positive and negative attitudes depending on the situation; (ii) 'Positive practices to promote healthy meals', which captured offering, serving and promotion practices; (iii) 'Mixed nutrition-related knowledge', which captured the variations in knowledge depending on the nutrition concept; and (iv) 'Complex barriers', which captured challenges with time, support and communication. The study produced relevant findings to address the barriers identified by SFP. Implementing multicomponent interventions and providing training to SFP may help reduce some of the identified barriers of SFP.

Effectiveness of error management training in the hospitality industry: Impact on perceived fairness and service recovery performance

Hospitality employees make errors given the characteristics of the service product. The way employees handle errors is largely determined by the training they receive. This research examined the impact of three training types on employees’ service recovery performance: errorless training, error avoidance training, and error management training. The mediating effect of perceived fairness between training types and service recovery performance was also examined. A scenario-based experimental research design in a restaurant setting was used in this study. The data was collected from 109 frontline hospitality employees in the United States (in Study 1) and from 155 foodservice professionals in China (in Study 2). Results indicated that error management training has a stronger impact on service recovery performance and perceived fairness compared to errorless and error avoidance training. The mediation effect of perceived fairness was also found. All hypotheses were supported and the findings were consistent in both studies.

Customers’ Preferences for Different Processed Tomato Categories in Food Service

ABSTRACTHypothetical discrete choice experiments were conducted to elicit food-service professionals’ preferences and willingness-to-pay for different attributes of processed tomatoes. A sample of 110 food-service professionals were surveyed in Italy, Russia, Eastern Europe, and South Korea in 2012. Data were analyzed by using multinomial logit and random parameter logit models. Results suggest that food-service professionals preferred peeled tomatoes to chopped pulp, tomato purée, and tomato paste. However, their preferences were heterogeneous. They would pay a premium price for products labeled with Italian origin. Types of cuisine sold by practitioners, numbers of points of sale, and nationalities also influence practitioners’ WTP. Factors affecting their purchasing decision were freshness of product, followed by convenience, cooking time, price, origin of product, and brand. This study shows that the research method is suitable for evaluating the preferences of food-service professionals. The preferences of industry operators resemble those of consumers.

Reducing food safety errors in the United States: Leader behavioral integrity for food safety, error reporting, and error management

This paper addresses the challenge of reducing food safety errors in the foodservice industry. Results of a survey of 255 fulltime food service professionals supported our proposed causal chain of impact that runs from “leader behavioral integrity for food safety” (the extent to which leaders/supervisors consistently enact and enforce food safety rules) through the proportion of food safety errors reported, through “error management” (an integrated set of practices involving error detection, correction, analysis, prevention and learning), finally to reduced food safety violations. Specifically, this study found the mediating effect of error reporting between leader behavioral integrity for food safety and error management; and the mediating effect of error management between error reporting and food safety violations. Results suggest that ongoing support and incentivizing of supervisors’ behavior may be a critical supplement to skill-based training of employees in reducing food safety errors and thus violations. The study found that high leader behavioral integrity for food safety can improve error reporting and error management leading to a reduction in the risk of foodborne illness, which is the ultimate goal of a food safety training program. It is recommended that managers serve as role models by following proper food safety practices and reporting errors themselves. A manager who consistently enacts food safety priorities and protocols conveys more clear information about positive organizational priorities for safety, provides clearer incentives for safety behaviors, models desired attitudes, and enhances employee trust and thus willingness to learn; which is critical for the success of food safety programs.

Kansas Team Nutrition

To collaborate with nutrition and wellness stakeholders for maximum outreach to students, school administrators and staff, foodservice professionals, parents, and the community about projects conducted within the Team Nutrition Training Grant received by the Kansas State Department of Education. Focused on the collaborative aspect of a wellness community, the Kansas Team Nutrition projects implemented within these grants revolve around the expertise, contribution, and expansive outreach of our partners. The modes of nutrition education materials ranged from multi-media creation, newsletters to a targeted population, recipe formulation, curriculum development, state-wide promotions, evaluation tool development, and professional development opportunities. Resulting final products from each partnership and project goal reached a unique, targeted population. Kansas State Department of Education resources have been extended to over 18,700 students through nutrition education promotion, 4,000 foodservice professionals in training classes developed and 51,150 Kansas households through newsletter outreach with the Team Nutrition Training Grants. Building partnerships and collaborating with a variety of organizations positively impacts the quality and reach of nutrition education materials designed with Team Nutrition Training Grant funds.

Michigan Team Nutrition Boost Breakfast Initiative Increases Breakfast Participation

To encourage schools to increase the number of students participating in school breakfast. In 2013, a Michigan “First Fuel” Breakfast Challenge was issued to have at least 60% of National School Lunch Program participants also participate in the School Breakfast Program. In the 2008-2009 school year, only 42.5% school lunch participants participated in school breakfast. Michigan Team Nutrition sought to increase participation by implementing the following activities, convened statewide strategic partners; developed a http://boostbreakfast.com/ website, toolkit, and online training; conducted statewide “Boost Breakfast” trainings targeting over 800 food service professionals and school administrators; engaged students through a statewide Junior Chef Breakfast Competition; completed a portfolio of 20 success stories in video and print; and promoted successes through social networking websites. In 2015, the number of school breakfasts increased to 48.5 students for every 100 students in school lunch. A total of 1,076 schools were successful in increasing their breakfast participation to 60%. Of these, 406 schools not only met the challenge goal, but doubled their breakfast participation numbers or met 100% participation as well. Overall, this translated to an additional 3 million school breakfasts being served. Increasing statewide breakfast participation numbers is challenging. A multi-pronged, collaborative, school by school effort is required to increase participation. Other states should consider modifying Michigan Team Nutrition boost breakfast intervention materials found at http://boostbreakfast.com/ in order to promote breakfast participation.

Frosting on the cake: pictures on food packaging bias serving size.

Food packaging often pictures supplementary extras, such as toppings or frosting, that are not listed on the nutritional labelling. The present study aimed to assess if these extras might exaggerate how many calories† are pictured and if they lead consumers to overserve. Four studies were conducted in the context of fifty-one different cake mixes. For these cake mixes, Study 1 compared the calories stated on the nutrition label with the calories of the cake (and frosting) pictured on the box. In Studies 2, 3 and 4, undergraduates (Studies 2 and 3) or food-service professionals (Study 4) were given one of these typical cake mix boxes, with some being told that cake frosting was not included on the nutritional labelling whereas others were provided with no additional information. They were then asked to indicate what they believed to be a reasonable serving size of cake. Settings Laboratory setting. Undergraduate students and food-service professionals. Study 1 showed that the average calories of cake and frosting pictured on the package of fifty-one different cake mixes exceed the calories on the nutritional label by 134 %. Studies 2 and 3 showed that informing consumers that the nutritional information does not include frosting reduces how much people serve. Study 4 showed that even food-service professionals overserve if not told that frosting is not included on the nutritional labelling. To be less misleading, packaging should either not depict extras in its pictures or it should more boldly and clearly state that extras are not included in calorie counts.

Assessing objective and subjective factors of culinary career success: Exploring the influence of industry certifications

ABSTRACTAmidst a growing industry, foodservice professionals are seeking certifications to differentiate themselves from the competition. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) provides the most comprehensive culinary certification program in the United States, promoting professional development through specialized training in the culinary arts. Proponents of the ACF certification program boast benefits such as increased pay and prestige. However, there has been limited research focusing on the relationship between professional foodservice certifications and perceived career success. This study examined the relationships between culinary certifications and objective (i.e. salary) and subjective (i.e. job satisfaction, self-efficacy) indicators of career success.

K-12 School Food Service Staff Training Interventions: A Review of the Literature.

School food service professionals are vital to implementing national nutrition standards in school meal programs. Appropriate and effective training for these professionals may be one key to producing healthful meals that students are excited to eat and also meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient guidelines. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand the scope of interventions conducted with food service staff. PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Science Direct databases were searched for articles detailing school food service training interventions in K-12 school settings within the United States. Of 2341 articles retrieved, 17 articles describing 14 food service training interventions met the inclusion criteria. While food service staff training was an important component of many comprehensive school health and school meal interventions, there were few studies that specifically addressed school food service staff trainings. Although some best practices can be concluded from the current literature, major gaps in knowledge about effective school food service training interventions and validated research tools remain. As new professional standards are mandated by the USDA, a more thorough evaluation and understanding of best practices is vital to maximize the effectiveness of food service staff training.