Managing Inventory and Food Costs Presented by: Kristin Palmer, Program Manager Gretta Robert, Supply Chain Coordinator

Focus  “Just in time” inventory practices and managing food costs.  Employees will learn how to keep their food storage areas appropriately stocked and keep food costs reasonable without sacrificing food quality

Inventory management  Mid-year inventory on hand (<7 days)  End-of-year inventory on hand (< 2 days)  At risk inventory (<10%)  Common inventory mistakes  Look at personalized print out

Mid-year inventory on hand  (<7 days)  Order one week at a time  Reduce orders to reflect inventory on hand (updated freezer & storeroom lists)  Keep editing orders up to the day they’re released  Match food orders with published menu & keep on a clipboard near your computer for easy reference

End-of-year inventory on hand  (< 2 days)  Pay attention to “Last Time” notices for ordering and serving  Network with neighboring schools to help use up excess inventory  Utilize inventory on hand to stretch last few day’s menu’s (i.e. canned fruit instead of fresh)

At risk inventory (Inventory due to expire)  Expiration reports will list ALL inventory on hand by expiration date  Reports will be ed every month  Only keep the most recent list – earlier expiration reports should be discarded  Give immediate attention to items listed at the top of the report

Avoid inventory mistakes  Use the right ID #  Mark products as they’re received – circle flavors, expiration dates, etc  Substitutions? – Use your Receivor not your order (keep until next inventory)  C (commodity) or P (purchase) - ?  Error Free Data Entry  Which unit of issue - i.e. bag versus case (use highlighter on your worksheet)  Use the right line in the computer  Did I count it last time - ? Be consistent  Double check your entries  Exact Item on 2 lines – use bottom line

How to deplete inventory i.e. too much product on hand  Disposables  Move to schools who need it  Return to warehouse if discontinued  Storeroom and freezer lists  Update daily  Use when ordering  Keep offering until gone

What to do when you are out  Ensure roving leads/substitutes are successful  Keep records on hand, share information where you can  Order ahead if you know you’ll be out  Review orders when you return

Understanding dates and numbers  Dates:  Expiration dates  Best-if-used-by dates  Production dates  Julian dates  Numbers:  Lot numbers

Expiration Dates  Once thawed, can’t re-freeze  Item will have a pink sticker if we freeze at CK to extend shelf-life  Shelf life of frozen products can NOT be extended by keeping it frozen  General rule – 2 yr for canned goods, 1 yr for frozen, 3 mos for staples, 1 mo for fresh products  If a product is marked with a date, it can’t be served to students after that date

Best-Used-By dates  A Best Used By date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is NOT a purchase or safety date. Processed products should be cooked or frozen by that dates. Hard/dry shelf stable products can be stored up to an additional 6 weeks after the Best By date.

Use-By or Sell-By dates  A Use By date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. For best quality, you should use the product before the use by or sell by date but it’s okay to use for a number of days beyond this date if it has been properly handled and stored. The number of times the product has been opened and resealed and the amount of time left out of the refrigerator during each use affects how long it will last. Your sense of smell and taste are great indicators of how fresh the product is. If the product looks, smells and tastes OK, it is probably OK to consume.

Production dates  Julian, traditional, and closed calendar dates are read as the “Production” or the “Manufacture” date. Most products will have at least one or the other on the box or included on the label. In some cases, the product will have both kinds of dates on the box.

Julian dates  A “Julian Day Calendar” expresses the calendar year as a series of numbers 1 through 365: 1 being the 1st of Jan and 365 being the 31st of Dec. It is usually read as a production or manufacture date but can be an expiration date.

Lot numbers  Use to follow-up with vendor on particular product  Keep box until service  Etc.

Experts Q and A Wednesday 22 nd (7:00-9:00am)-Pin Pin (Lent) and Janet (Creston) Thursday 23 rd (9:30-11:30am)-Mei (Atkinson) and Melissa (Glencoe)

Discussion