CONVENIENCE FOODS............

CONVENIENCE FOODS

Introduction:

Today the term "convenience foods" is widely used in the catering industry. This is probably due to the rapid progress in food technology over the past decade. The term "convenience foods", strictly translated, refers to any type of food, where some stage of preparation has been completed beforehand.

Processes by which convenience foods are classified:

Accelerated Freeze-drying: By using high-vacuum techniques it is possible to produce specific conditions of temperature and pressure which create ideal conditions for dehydration of food without the collapse of cells. There are only a limited amount of foods on the market, as production costs are relatively high.

  

1.      Additives: Non nutritive substances added to food to improve its appearance, texture, flavor and storage properties.

2.      Aseptic Canning: A newer development in canning designed for these products adversely affected by heat within sealed containers. Products like fruit juices are sterilized then placed into sterile cans under microbe free conditions.

3.      "Boil in the bag” Ready food: A convenience entrée or vegetable commodity. Portioned items are packed in special plastic bags, sealed then frozen. To reconstitute, the unopened bag is dropped into boiling water for a predetermined period.

4.      Dehydration: A method of preserving food by reducing the moisture content to such a level those microbes cannot grow and reproduce. The methods used depend on the food, but popular techniques include tunnel, roller and spray drying. Nutritionally the products lose little value, but the texture, especially in fruits and vegetables, is suspect.

5.      Dehydro-freezing: A method of preservation where the moisture content of certain food is reduced by 70% then quick-frozen. Because the cells do not collapse, the product has good texture retention. Product must be stored in frozen state.

6.      Freezer Burn: In any frozen storage room there is a steady removal of moisture from unprotected foods which may result in unpleasant irreversible changes to the color, texture, flavor and nutritive values.

7.      Freezing: Foods freeze over a wide range of temperatures, although freezing points are unidentifiable. Because of high water content in many foods, they freeze at temperatures between 32F and 25F.

8.      Preservation: Stored foods tend to deteriorate under the influence of its own enzymes, chemical action and through the growth and reproduction of micro-organisms. The techniques developed for preservation aim to retard these reactions or destroy the cause of deterioration.

9.      Spray Drying: A method of dehydrating food by spraying a slurry of the commodity into a hot air chamber, which dries the material immediately forming a powder.

10.  Smoked Preservation: This process is applied to a wide variety of raw and prepared foods. E.g. smoked fish. 

Types of Products:

Apart from the different methods already mentioned which produce the greater part of convenience foods in dry, quick frozen and canned foods, there are many ready mixed dehydrated foods or ordinary dry mixes. Many of these products are suitable for large scale catering. When used with imagination and sometimes methods from conventional cookery, a much wider variety of dishes can be produced. E.g. instant soups.

Convenience foods can be used to advantages in the following situations:

·         Where you have staff shortages or staff recruitment problems.

·         Where you haven’t enough storage space for bulky fresh products.

·         Where you have a problem in obtaining a regular fresh supply of commodities (because of seasonal shortages, too high a purchase price, or the location of the establishment).

·         Where you have only a limited space for food preparation.

·         Where you have not the specialized preparation equipment available.

·         Where your kitchen personal do not possess sufficient craft skills.

Labor and food costs:

The use of convenience foods has increased considerably in the recent years. Much of this growth should be seen in context of the need to reduce labor costs. Not only are a fewer staff needed to produce a similar number of meals if convenience foods are used; the remaining staff do not need to be highly skilled.

The cost of many convenience foods are higher than that of the fresh foods in season, but manufacturers argue that the cost of labor, fuel, wastage and equipment depreciation must also be considered. Convenience foods do offer an alternative to fresh commodities at periods of the year when the cost of fresh items could be very high.

Special Points concerning convenience foods:

1.      The large range of convenience foods available allows the caterer to offer a wider range of menu dishes.

2.      Convenience foods are consistent in standard, with a stable pricing structure.

3.      Wastage can be reduced considerably, particularly in situations where menu items are cooked or re-heated straight from the freezer.

4.      Cleaning, fuel, and maintenance costs are reduced when the kitchen is opened for shorter periods.

5.      Many catering operations are not geared up to using up leftover cooked and raw items. When cooking to order, excess is not produced if convenience foods are used.

6.      Portion control is made easier by using a specified portion size. Many items are available in single portion packs or individually frozen.

7.      An unexpected high demand can be accommodated more easily using convenience foods.

8.      Convenience foods require less storage space, and stock control is easier.

9.      Always follow the manufacturers’ recommendations.

 Advantages of convenience foods

1.      It saves time, space and labor

2.      Since food is pre-portioned there is control over issue

3.      Better control over total number of portions cooked for banquets and buffets as cooking time is short and hence can be cooked at last the minute.

4.      Exact kitchen balance can be mentioned at the end of the day.

5.      Availability throughout the year

6.      As seasonal fluctuations do not affect prices menu prices can be standardized.

Dis-advantages of convenience foods

1.      Not have traditional aroma, flavor, and characteristic to fresh cook- food.

2.      Where electricity is not regular and stable there is a risk of holding costly inventories at sub zero temperatures

3.      Variety is restricted – ones available under brand labels: if staff skilled to improvise, modify an existing convenience foods to provide variety are kept on payroll, then the advantage in labor saving is lost.

Examples of some Convenience Foods available in the market

In the broadest sense of the term all canned and bottled goods can be termed as convenience foods as they embrace one or the other aims of convenience foods industry. Frozen foodstuffs, precut steaks, dressed and portion cut poultry, ready to use roasting birds, semi-processed vegetables in polythene bags, dehydrated soup mixes, fruit purees and concentrates, milk powders, egg powders, ready to use puff pastry cut to shape e.g. vol-au-vents, sausage rolls, etc are all examples of freely available convenience foods which are made by various manufacturers and their brand names.