Meal Management Prelims
throughout the day including snacks, or
M1: BASIC COMPONENTS IN MEAL
MANAGEMENT
Meal – is an instance of eating in a specific time
and includes specific food preparation
Management – means getting people together
to accomplish desired goals and objectives
using available resources
Meal management
- Refers to the effective and efficient use of
available resources to provide meals that
are nutritionally adequate, sanitary, and
aesthetically pleasing, economical in
terms of cost and of time and energy
preparation
- Is the process whereby resources, both
material and human, are used to obtain
goals that have to do with feeding the
individual or the group. It involves
planning, organizing, controlling and
evaluating the meal service
Meal planning – is the process of thinking or
deciding the series of activities in meal
management
a. What will I serve or how much will I
serve?
b. How will I serve the food?
c. Where will I buy the food?
d. How much will I buy or what will I buy?
e. How will I prepare the food or how much
will I prepare?
f. How will I set the table?
g. How much time/money will I need?
Meal Plan – is the number of dining options
offered within a specific period of time
Meal Pattern – is an outline of the number of
meals offered with corresponding components
over a specific period of time
Menu – is a detailed list of food items that may
be ordered or served
Menu Planning
- Entails thinking through and listing down
specific food and dishes desired for one
meal such as breakfast, lunch, supper or
even throughout the week or month
Menu Pattern – is an outline of food to be
included in each meal
Philosophy – is a study of general and
fundamental problems
Philosophical Basis in Menu Planning:
a. What can mealtime contribute to family
communication?
b. How important is cost control in the food
budget?
c. Can family meals enhance social skills of
individuals?
d. How can family meals promote the health
of various family members?
e. Can various family members develop
creativity by helping in meal preparation
and service?
f. In what other ways can family meals ass
to the quality of life in a family, as a group,
or as individuals?
Values – something considered very desirable
and significant; intrinsically desirable, of relative
worth or of importance
Values In Meal Planning:
a. Good health
b. Social values
c. Cultural values
d. Management of time, energy or
combination of these resources
e. Value for money and conservation
f. Value for education
Goals
- are aims or objectives that people try to
reach
- depend on what the family values. If the
family’s priority is good health, then the
goals in planning a meal should meet its
demands
THE MEAL MANAGER AND THE MEAL
MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Manager – are responsible for the processes of
getting activities completed efficiently with and
Meal Management Prelims

through other people and setting and achieving Storage of Food Supplies
the firm’s goals through the execution of four
Proper storage of food is essential in maintaining
basic management functions:
the sanitary nutritive and aesthetic quality of
- planning food.
- organizing
It contributes in minimizing waste and food
- leading
costs, as well as the amount of time and energy
- controlling
used in the preparation of meals.
LEADERS VS. MANAGERS
Examples:
“Leaders have people follow them while
- Dry storage
Managers have people work for them”
- Refrigerated storage
Meal Manager – responsible for the series of - Freezer storage
activities in the meal management process
Meal Preparation – series of activities from
Meal Management Process washing peeling, and cutting of food, and
cooking
Cooking of Food (Objectives):
a. Enhance the aesthetic appeal of the raw
Purchasing
Preparing &
Table Clearing up food product by maximizing the sensory
Menu
Planning
& Storage
of food
cooking of
Setting &
Food
of the table
and dining
qualities of color, texture, and flavor
food
supplies Service areas b. Destroy harmful organisms to ensure that
the food is microbiologically safe for
human consumption
c. Improve digestibility and maximize
nutrient retention
Menu Planning Table Setting – is a manner in which tables and
- entails thinking through and listing down foods are arranged in the table or in any surface
specific food and dishes desired for one for dining
meal Food Service
- Ex. Breakfast, lunch or supper or
throughout the day including snacks, or - Is a manner in which food will be served
even throughout the week or month to the diner
- Involves assembling prepared menu
Why is Menu Planning So Important items & distributing them to the consumer
1. It ensures adequate nutrition to the family Styles of Meal Service
2. It maximizes the use of available
resources 1. Self service
3. It maximizes available time & energy for - Machine-vended
preparing & serving the meal - Drive-thru pick up
4. It provides a more varied & interesting - Cafeteria
meal 2. Tray service
- Meals or snacks are assembled
Purchasing/Procurement and carried on a tray to individual
- Function of acquiring desired product and patients/consumers
services 3. Wait service – French Service (fine
- Process of getting the right product at the dining)
right quantity and quality at the right 4. Portable Meals – On/Off-premise food
place, time and at the right source deliveries
Meal Management Prelims
Clearing Up the Table and Dining Areas
- Varies on what style of service is being
used
Meal Planning Activities
1. Planning the food budget
2. Planning the food purchase; choosing the
market, buying and storing supplies;
3. Planning for preparing and serving meals
Factors to Consider
1. Nutritional Adequacy
2. Food Budget
3. Differences in Food Habits
4. Time and skill of the meal manger
5. Suitability, availability and quality of the
food to be served
6. Aesthetic and psychological aspects of
food
7. Equipment available
8. Individual/Client nutrient needs
9. Special Occasions
10. Personal preferences
11. Variety
12. Presentation
13. Cultural and Religious practices
______________________________________
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IMPORTANCE OF FOOD AND DINING
Food – provide nutrients so we can grow and be
active and healthy
Nutrients – substances that provide:
- Energy for activity, growth, and all
functions of the body
- Materials for the growth and repair of the
body, and for keeping the immune
system healthy
What do we feel is positively affected by
eating at the dining table?
% of People
TYPES OF MENUS
Menu – a detailed list of food items that may be
ordered or served
A la Carte
- Calls for pricing each food item
separately, allowing an individual to order
only what he wants
Table d’ Hote
- Direct opposite of the a la carte, it offers
a fixed menu price
- Sometimes a selection of some items
(choice of bev/dessert) may still be
possible within the set meal
Carte du Jour
Means “menu for the day”
Static Menu
- Same menu is included each day,
- Although special dishes may be added to
attract diners who are interested in items
beyond the regular set menu
Single-use Menu
- Used only once, usually for special
occasions (ex. Weddings, debut, etc.)
Cycle Menu
- Menu designed to be repeated within a
specific time span
- It is important to change cycles with
seasons and on certain days
4 Cardinal Rules on Proper Menu Planning
1. Nutritive Aspect
2. Economic Aspect
3. Managerial Aspect
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4. Aesthetic Aspect - May also explore other evaluation tools

such as the Menu Eval Plus of DOST-
FNRI
MECHANICS IN MENU PLANNING Menu Eval Plus

Rules for Menu Structure and Format for - is a web-based software developed to
Food Service speed-up calculation of estimated energy
and nutrient content and percentage
1. Present items in the order in which they contribution of recipes and menus or
are served meals. It allows the user to calculate food
2. Make the menu easy to read with cost and quantify recipes.
margins on top, bottom, and sides - intended for professionals in nutrition and
3. Includes the name and full address of the dietetics and food technology, food
restaurant and the days and hours of service operators, students, and
operation individuals who want to evaluate their
4. Change the menu; Check and modify own recipes and menus.
accordingly with menu offering, color,
design according to the season of the Food Plan
year - can be used when planning a one-day
Meal Pattern menu (breakfast, lunch, supper) starting
with the main dish of the most important
- An outline of the number of meals offered meal of the day
with corresponding components over a - used as a basis for menu planning
specific period of time - it is a listing of food requirements of the
family for a given period and a given
BREAKFAST LUNCH/SUP AM/PM
budget
PER SNACK
- it is a tool used to plan the daily or weekly
Fruit or fruit Soup Starchy food menus of the family
juice
Week’s Menu
Protein dish Fruit in
Protein dish season - Similar steps used when preparing food
Vegetable plan by starting with the mannish of either
Rice/bread dish Beverage
lunch or supper of the most important day
Beverages Rice of the week
Aids for Menu Planning
Dessert
(fruit/sweets) - Food plan of the family
- Menu pattern acceptable to the family
- List of family’s favorite dishes
Menu Evaluation
- Record book current food prices
- An important part of the menu planning - Table of foods in season
and should be an ongoing process. The - Files of favorite, tested recipes
menu as planned should be reviewed - Favorite cookbook of the family
prior to its use and again after it has been - Purchasing guides
served - Food magazines
- A questionnaire has been devised to - Internet (food blogs)
evaluate whether menu plans meet the
conditions already discussed. While the
evaluation is quantified, one may use it
M2: FOOD PURCHASING/PROCUREMENT
qualitatively by merely answering the
questions with a yes/no.
Meal Management Prelims

- What type of food item is best for the - Tadyang (spare ribs) – separated from
particular recipe? the belly
- Will it be pork, beef, or chicken? - Pata (pig’s feet) – includes fore and hind
- If beef is desired, which cut is better? feet
- How much will be bought? - Internal organs
- When will I buy?
Guidelines in Buying Meat
- Where will I buy?
- How should I buy? - Buy only wholesome products. If it has
offensive odor/is discolored, molded, or
Food Purchasing and Its Objectives
slimy when opened in the kitchen, return
✓ Right Quality it at once to the market where it was
✓ Right Quantity bough
✓ Right Time - Whenever possible, buy graded products
✓ Right Source - Learn to identify the carcass origin of
retail cuts
Purchasing Meats
- Buy cuts according to intended use
Meats – accounts for the largest single expense - Buy the quantity for intended use
item in the food budget - Match your money with the quantity you
would like to buy
- A slaughtered animal is called a carcass
- When a carcass is portioned, each Purchasing Poultry
portion is called a meat cut. Wholesale
Poultry – refers to any domesticated bird used
cuts are larger pieces while retail cuts are
as a food
smaller pieces
Desirable Characteristics when Buying
Beef Cuts
Poultry:
- Kenches a unahan or hulihan (fore-hind
- Type
shank)
- Age
- Punta y pecho (brisket)
- Style (Market forms)
- Paypay (Chuck)
- Tadyang (spareribs) Guidelines in Buying Poultry:
- Kadera (short loin)
- Compare prices of whole and cut-up
- Kampto (Flank)
chicken
- Costillas (ribs)
- Properly priced chicken wings and
- Tapadera (rump)
backs are good buy. You can have a pot
- Pierna corta (round)
of soup and enough chicken meat at the
- Short/beef plate
same time
- Internal organs
- Ready stiffed poultry are more
Pork Cuts expensive than unstuffed one
- Look for signs of deterioration such as
- Ulo (head) – includes portion of the head
discoloration and foul odor or presence
w/ a portion of the jowl
of injected fluids along the armpits and
- Casim (picnic ham) – lower half of the
necks
shoulder
- Paypay (Boston butt) – upper half of the Guidelines in Buying Eggs:
shoulder
1. Methods used to determine freshness
- Pigue (hind leg or ham)
a. Gross examination
- Lomo (loin) – small piece of muscle
b. Egg Candling
attached underneath the spinal column
c. Water Test
- Liempo (belly) – remaining portion after
d. Breaking
removing the loin and the spareribs
2. Egg sizes
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3. Grading of Eggs
4. Market Forms of eggs
Purchasing Fish and Seafoods
Fish – refers to the large group of water
animals, includes the freshwater and salt water
types
Seafoods – include eels, squids, crustaceans
Guidelines in Buying Fish and Seafood
- Market forms
- Characteristics of a good quality fish and
seafood
- The fishmonger might offer
anecdotes, info, or cooking tips-
listen carefully
- It’s a great sign when the
fishmonger cuts steaks and fillets
from a larger piece of fish
- If the scallops are whiter than a
starlet’s teeth, they most likely
have been bleached-avoid them
Purchasing Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits – fleshy, juicy products of plants, usually
contain the seed; when ripe they can be eaten
without cooking
Vegetables – are parts of plants used as food,
may be served raw or cooked as an appetizer,
salad, or entrée
Purchasing Rice
Quality of rice depends on the variety, length
of storage, grain size, shape and color,
cleanliness, or absence of dirt or foreign
substances
In buying rice, the following considerations
are made:
- Different varieties of rice
- Type which will give better volume when
cooked. Luma (old) is capable of rising
up to double the quantity. The
desirability of one will depend on the
characteristics you want for cooked rice.
Some prefer it hard or soft, sticky, or
malagkit.
- Free from unpleasant, repulsive odor
and live insect infestations, least amount
of impurities, such as stones, sand, and
dirt must be chosen.
Purchasing Beverages
Beverages – apply to drinks which can relieve
thirst, nourish the body, stimulate appetite, and
increase the amount of body fluids.
Guidelines in Buying Beverages:
- Coffee must be bought, covered and
packed well because it rapidly loses
flavor in contact w/ air. It is better to buy
smaller quantities since they lose flavor
& aroma rapidly.
- In buying tea, one must consider the
method of preparation and resulting
product. Tea is available as leaves, tea
bags, powdered instant or as tea mixes
w/ lemon flavor and sugar mixed in.
- Tea leaves need long brewing and
produce a strong, full- flavored tea.
- Tea bags only need steeping in very hot
water, producing a satisfactory drink.
- Powdered instant teas and tea mixes
dissolve easily in water for quick,
refreshing drinks, usually served cold.
- Cocoa and chocolate. Cocoa is
generally preferred because chocolate
still has the cocoa butter, making it
harder to digest. Besides cocoa is
cheaper. It may be available w/ or w/out
sugar.
Purchasing Canned & Packaged Foods
Canned Goods
Packaged Foods
- These are food items, raw, processed or
frozen which are available in other types
of packaging except cans.
- These may be available in glass
containers, plastic, styrofor, cellophane
or aluminum foil or cardboard.
Packaging may be vacuum sealed, or
Meal Management Prelims
simply heat sealed, or in containers with
tight fitting covers.
Guidelines in Buying Canned Goods:
- Can Sizes
- Food Label
a. Name of the product
b. The name & address of the
manufacturer, packer, or
distributor
c. The net content by count, fluid
measure or weight in grams
d. The name of ingredients listed in
order of greatest to least portion
if food is not a common one.
e. The exact definition of dietary
properties if claims are made for
them
f. It should bear the term "artificial"
for any such additives used, such
as colorings, flavorings, and
sweeteners. It should include
chemical additives used.
g. Expiry dates should be given
h. There must be a bar coding for
the product
- Can defects
a. Dented can
b. Can leakers
Guidelines in Buying Packaged Foods:
- Packaged foods must be sealed well.
One must check for holes caused by
careless handling or rodents.
- One must check containers for
convenience and protective factors, for
example, wide mouth jars for spoonable
products, slim neck bottles for pourable
products, bottle caps that screw on well,
sturdy handles, etc
- Date-stamping
Guidelines in Buying Sugars:
- When buying crystalline or produced
sugars, the bags or boxes must always
be checked for holes. Packages that feel
hard must be avoided because sugars
may have clumped so hard. This
happens when sugars are exposed to
damp or are moistened because of poor
packaging.
- When buying syrups, the caps or covers
must be free from rust. For corn syrup
and honey, those that show crystal
formations must be avoided.
Purchasing Milk & Milk Products
Milk – is the normal lacteal secretion of the
mammary glands of all mammals used to
nourish their young. In many countries, the cow
is the principal source of milk. In the
Philippines, the principal source of milk is the
buffalo.
Guidelines in Buying Milk & Milk Products:
- Milk should be checked for sediments.
Well- handled and treated milk has no
sediment.
- Milk w/ broken seals or covers,
discolorations, dented cans or leaks
should be avoided.
- Expiration dates should always be
checked. Milk w/ farthest date of
expiration should be bought if to be kept
for a time.
- Upon purchasing milk must be
refrigerated. Ideal temperature for
storing milk is 1-4 degrees Centigrade.
Guidelines in Buying Breads:
- Dents and holes in the bread must be
checked. Well-shaped loaves should be
bought and expiry date must be
checked.
- Cost, flavor, quality must be compared
with homemade versions.
- Wrapping should be examined carefully.
This should not have open ends.
Purchasing Cereals Pasta & Flour
Cereals – are available in plastic bags, boxes,
cans and bottle; oats, sago, wheatgerm,
granola, tapioca, etc.; quick-cooking or instant
varieties.
Pasta – are dried dough in various shapes and
sizes, creamy colored. Pasta swells to thrice
when cooked, holds its shape and has sweet
nut-like flavor.
Meal Management Prelims

Flours – are powdered products made from allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger,
milling or grinding cereal grains, root crops, mace, mustard, nutmeg, paprika,
legumes, and other starchy foods. pepper, saffron, turmeric, chili, cayenne,
coriander.
Guidelines in Buying Cereals, Pasta, Flour:
- Labels must be checked for special
treatments: pre-sifted, bromated, self- Principles of Purchasing:
rising, bleached, enriched, etc. These
- It is important to be familiar with the
adds cost to the flour.
types of food available. Substitutes must
- It is advisable to buy only for reputable
be used if available
stores w/ good handling practices.
- When specific services are performed
Unpackaged and poorly handed flour
on each product, there is an additional
easily gets dusty, infested by weevils
cost on the product.
and absorbs odor from the
- It is preferable to do one's shopping.
surroundings. Bags must be checked for
- It may be advantageous to shop in
holes or weevils on sides and corners of
different markets, so that one can do
the package.
better comparison of prices versus
- Buying in small quantities is advisable
quality.
so as to use the flour as quickly as
- Shopping on a cash and carry basis
possible as it gets rancid if kept too long.
may be uneconomical.
- A shopping list must be prepared before
making a trip in the market.
Purchasing Fats & Oils
Fats – refers to all edible fats that are solid at
room temperature. These may be of animal or
vegetable origin or a mixture of both; they
contain a higher percentage of saturated
glycerides and oils.
Oils – refers to edible fats that stay liquid at
room temperature; they contain more of the
saturated glycerides than fat.

Purchasing Herbs & Spices

Food Adjuncts
Herbs – are aromatic plants whose leaves or
seeds are used in cooking. They are sold fresh
or dried, whole or ground. The more common
herb used are the following:
garlic, oregano, parsley, chives, mint,
thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, basil,
anise, bay, curry powder, tarragon
Spices – are mostly seeds from plants grown in
hot climates, also sold whole or ground. Ground
spice lose flavor faster than whole spice but is
easier to use straight from the pack. Common
market spices include: