Investigation of Feasibility forConvenience food Provisioning onBoard C.G.S. '.'Cygnus"

C.H. Schmid and J. Meyer

Foremost Foods Incorporated1560 Brandon CrescentLachine, Quebec

UNDER CONTRACT TO:

Fisheries and Marine ServiceTechnology Branch1707 Lower Water StreetHalifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2R3

Project Officers: C. Sinnott and L. Proctor

June 1977

Fisheries & Marine ServiceIndustry Report No. 92

Fi berie and arine er ice

Indu tr Report

The report ontain the re ult of re ear hand d elopment that are u efulto indu tr for either immediate or future appli ation. Indu tr Report aredir ted primaril tov ard indi idual in the primary and ondar e tor of thefi hing and marin industri . 0 re tri tion i pi ed on ubje t matter and theerie rene t th broad intere t and poli ie of the Fi herie and arine er i e

namely fi herie management te hnolog and de elopment ocean ien e andaquati n\ ironment r Ie ant to Canada.

Indu try R port ma be ited a full publi ation . The orre t itation ppe rabove the ab tra t of a h report. Ea h report ill be ab tra t d in Aquatic Sciencesand Fisheries bstracts and ill be inde ed annuall in the er i e inde tocientific and te hni al publication.

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Detail on th a ailabilit of Ind tr Report in hard op ma be obtainedfrom the i uing tabli hment indi ated on the front 0 r.

ervice de pecbe et de cience de la mer

Rapports de tine aI indu trie

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• Cover design by Christine Rusk

Fisheries and Marine Service

Industry Report 92

March 1977

INVESTIGATION OF FEASIBILITY FOR CONVENIENCE FOOD PROVISIONING

ON BOARD C.G.S. "CYGNUS"

by

C. H. Schmid and J. Meyer

Foremost Foods Incorporated1560 Brandon Crescent

Lachine, Quebec

Under Contract to:

Fisheries and Marine ServiceTechnology Branch

1707 Lower Water StreetP.O. Box 429, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2R3

Project Officers: C. Sinnott and L. Proctor

This is the first Industry Report from the

Technology Branch, Halifax, Nova Scotia

i

PREFACE

Present methods of provisioning involve providing a stock of fresh foods

(to be prepared at once or frozen on board for later use) from which meals are

assembled. Perishable foods are obtained as available and are thus Subject to

variations in cost and quality. Problems which may arise are outlined below.

a) Freezer burn may result from inadequate packaging.

b) Due to the shape of packages and space available, difficulties arise

in the storage of food and basic ingredients in bulk form.

c) The absence of expiry date stamping creates difficulties in stock

rotation, hampers inventory control and results in overstocking.

d) The quality of the meals served totally reflects the skill of the

cook.

e) Rough sea conditions drastically limit the variety of foods that can

be served and increase the wastage due to the food ruined during

preparation.

f) Space and equipment restriction of the ship's galley limit the

variety of foods that can be served.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

After Meal Questionnaire --------------------- 12

Overall ------------------------ 13

2

2

2

3

3

5

5

5

5

5

Menu ---------------------------------------------------­

Evaluation ----------------------------------------------

Food Service Technician ---------------------------------

Microwave Oven ------------------------------------------

Preface ---------------------------------------------------- ii

Abstract/Resume -------------------------------------------- iv

Introduction ----------------------------------------------- 1

Definitions -------~----------------------------------------1

Project Program -------------------------------------------- 2

Vessel -------------------------------------------------- 22

Results ----------------------------------------------------

Questionnaires ------------------------------------------

Menu ---------------------------------------------------­

Snacking -----------------------------------------------­

Purchasing ---------------------------------------------­

Storage ------------------------------------------------­

Preparation --------------------------------------------­

Wastage ------------------------------------------------- 6

Microwave Oven ------------------------------------------ 6

Food Costs ---------------------------------------------- 7

Observations ----------------------------------------------- 8

Conclusions ------------------------------------------------ 9

Appendix 1: Convenience Food Menu -------------------------- 10

Appendix II:

III:

IV order

ABSTRACT

Schmid, C.H. and J. Meyer. 1977.food provisioning onRep. 92, 14 p.

of for convenienceFish. Mar. Servo Ind.

Convenienceon the skill

An investigation to determine the acceptability of convenlence foodcatering was undertaken aboard the Fisheries Conservation and ProtectionC.G.S. Cygnus. An eight-day lunch and dinner menu for the crew of 24 was drawnup for the trial period February 26 to March 6, 1977. Foods were supplied byForemost Foods Inc., a company which only handles top quality convenience foodsfrom federally inspected plants. Individual evaluations obtained from the crewafter each meal and at the conclusion of the trip indicated that the conveniencefood provisioning is feasible. The advantages of convenience foodare lower food costs, better inventory control, reduction in spacements, less spoilage and wastage, and the capability to produce full course mealsregardless of weather conditions. Convenience foodin the trial by the ship's cooks using the existingfood catering reduces the duties of the cook and is lessof the cook than conventional methods.

Key Words: Catering, convenience, vessels

RESUME

Schmid, C.H. and J. Meyer. 1977.food provisioning onRep. 92, 14 p.

Investigation ofboard C.G.S. "Cyngus".

for convenienceFish. Mar. Servo Ind.

les cuisines. Pardu cuisinier

Une etude visant a determiner s'il serait bon d' und'approvisionnement en aliments cuisines a ete entreprise a bord du bateau deConservation et de Protection des Peches, Ie C.G.S. Cygnus. On a unmenu des diners et des soupers offerts aux 24 memb~es de l' pour uneperiode d'essai de huit jours, soit du 26 au 6 mars. cette fin, on afait appel aux services de pourvoyeur de la Foremost Foods Inc., nefabrique que des plats cuisines de premiere qualite d'usines soumisesa l' Les commentaires recueillis des membres del' repas et a la fin de l' attestentd' ce Entre autres consommationd'aliments de la nourriture, de mieuxles stocks

ordinaire dont ilsen alimentsla cuisine conventionnelle.

Mots cles: pourvoyeur, cuisines, bateaux

INTRODUCTION

This investigation was undertaken to determine theof planned convenience food menus based on foods currently served on boardthe vessel selected for the project. The convenience food menus werechosen to provide:

a) consistently equal or improved quality meals,

b) nutritionally balanced meals, and

c) greater variety of provisioning at equal or reduced cost asto present provisioning.

DEFINITIONS

In the context of this project, convenience foods are definedas any food prepared, to one degree or another, prior to the purchaseThis would include:

a) frozen*, e.g. ready-to-cook vegetables,

b) refrigerated, e.g. pre-peeled potatoes,

c) portion-controlled, e.g. meats,

d) pre-cooked, frozen, main dishes, e.g. cabbage rolls, roast beef,

e) canned, e.g. fruits,

instant, e.g.

pre-cooKed, frozen, desserts, e.g.

* Fast frozen under ideal conditions.

1

and cakes, and

PROJECT PROGRAM

Vessel

Permission was given by Conservation and Protection Division touse the C.G.S. Cygnus, which carries a crew of 24, for the project fromFebruary 26 to March 6, 1977.

An eight-day convenience food lunch and dinner menu was compiledbased on information obtained from discussion with the ship's cook andfisheries personnel and a sample five-day menu supplied by the cook. Break­fast was not included in this menu since this meal can be adjusted to agreater degree of convenience without foreseeable problems.

All the food included in the menu was supplied by Foremost FoodsInc. to avoid interference with provisions on board and to simplify costingof the eight-day menu.

The menu was prepared by Foremost Foods Inc. food service tech­n~c~an and Fisheries and Marine Service consumer consultant to providenutritionally balanced meals featuring a wide variety of convenience foods.The eight-day menu is outlined in Appendix I.

Evaluation

The crew was requested to fill out a questionnaire after eachmeal evaluating the meal specifically by the individual conponents, forexample: soup, meat, etc. A copy of the questionnaire is included asAppendix II.

At the conclusion of the eight-day voyage, the crew completedan additional questionnaire to evaluate the overall menu. (A copy ofthis questionnaire is included as Appendix III.)

A food service technician Mr. C. Schmid, was on board for theduration of the eight-day voyage to advise on the cooking of the conven­ience foods. The actual cooking was carried out by the ship's cooks.

Microwave Oven

A microwave oven was provided by Foremost Foods Inc. andguidance given on its uses with convenience foods.

2

RESULTS

Questionnaires

The results of the after-meal questionnaires are summarized inTable 1. (Only 75% of the questionnaires issued were returned becausesome crew members would skip meals when on shift duty.)

TABLE 1

SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF AFTER-MEAL QUESTIONNAIRES

MEAL COMPONENTPERCENTAGE OF CREW MEMBERSCHECKING EACH CATEGORY

VERY GOOD GOOD DISLIKED

SOUPS 27.6 70.8 1.6

MEATS 26.4 61.4 12.2

POTATO, RICE 21.0 60.8 18.2OR PASTA

VEGETABLES 22.8 72.4 4.8

SALADS 28.8 68.7 2.5

DESSERTS 27.6 66.5 5.9

AVERAGE RESPONSEALL

COMPONENTS 25. 65. .

3

The results of the overall evaluation are shown in Table 2.These results are based on 92% of the questionnaires issued.

TABLE 2

SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF OVERALL QUESTIONNAIRES

EVALUATION OF MENU

VERY GOOD

GOOD

FAIR

POOR

4

PERCENTAGE OF CREWCHECKING EACH CATEGORY

31.8

40.9

27.3

0.0

The menu, as planned, was satisfactory in terms of the mealvariety it provided, and portions were of sufficient quantity.

Pre-prepared salads, scalloped potatoes and all frozen dessertsappeared to be well liked.

Instant mashed potatoes were not well received. This is dis­cussed more fully under Observations - 3.

Snacking

Snacking was shown to be an important consideration in the eatinghabits of the crew. Food not consumed at meal times was eaten later a8snacks. The specified snack foods brought on board were not consumed.

Purchasing

Purchases for this trial were greater than required due to in­accurate portion size estimates. Subsequent purchases could therefore bemade more accurately.

~torage

Storage space requirements for convenience food items were shownto be considerably less than those required for conventional foodstuffs.

Due to the packaging method used for convenience foods, theseitems could be stacked in menu sequence for easy access. The stackingmethod allowed the expiry date stamping to be visible for proper stockrotation.

It was shown that a full meal for 24 crew members couldserved in an overall time of two hours.

Additionally, complete meals could be served regardless of theweather conditions. Because initial preparation steps are eliminated byconvenience foods, the cooking of a meal is less hazardous, particularlyin rough weather.

5

Wastage

Wastage was reduced with convenience foods because processessuch as cleaning~ peeling~ pre-cutting and trimming are eliminated.

Microwaye Oyen

The microwave oven was used predominantly for snacks and desserts.

The food provided on this trip was not designed for maximum useof the microwave oven.

6

Food Costs

Due to small quantities involved in this test, all foods couldnot be supplied at wholesale prices. Therefore, actual costs plus theadjusted costs are shown in Table 3. All convenience foods supplied arequality and government inspected.

TABLE 3

FOOD COSTS*

Total price for all food supplies

Total cost of closing inventory

Total cost of lunches, dinner,and snacks

Cost per man per day (breakfastexcluded)

Cost per man per day (breakfastincluded at $0.60 per man)

Food** Food***as Supplied at Wholesale

$1,374.20 $1,324.20

615.07 615.07

759.13 709.13

3.80 3.55

4.40 4.15

* Costing is based on feeding 24 crew members and 1 food technicianfor a period of 8 full days.

Combination wholesale and retail

*** Food costs adjusted to wholesale prices.

7

OBSERVATIONS

1. The galley equipment generally does not lend itself to ease of cooking,e.g. the oven contains only one shelf.

2. Fresh baked bread could have been provided from frozen dough but wasnot made on the specific recommendation of the cook.

3. Instant mashed potatoes were not accepted by the crew. This was duepossibly to the unfamiliarity of the cook with this product and thefood service technician being unable to give guidance due to his in­disposition. It was significant that the frozen vegetables, at thismeal, were also rated poor.

4. One segment of the crew appeared to be opposed to this program andconsistently rated the products low on the scale; similarity wasalways shown in the comments of this group. As examples:

a) pie was rated poor because it was served hot.

b) raisin pie received a poor rating from one of this segmentdespite his having eaten four helpings.

c) one individual rated potatoes and vegetables fair althoughhe never ate them.

In general, however, comments and ratings appeared to be honest.

5. At the outset of the trip, the crew was apprehensive because they hadnot received any information about the program and assumed that theywould be served TV dinners. These difficulties were eventually cor­rected through personal contact by the food service technician withthe individual crew members. Thus the full cooperation of the crewin the project was achieved.

6. The planned menu was able to be followed despite the adverse weatherconditions encountered.

8

CONCLUSIONS

This trial showed that convenience provisioning on board theC.G.S. Cygnus is feasible and advantageous.

Convenience foods should be introduced gradually with fullknowledge of the crew. For maximum benefit, a training program (2 to3 days) should be given to cooks prior to introduction of conveniencefoods.

Additional benefits shown to accrue from convenience foodprovisioning are:

1. lower food costs,

2. reduction in storage space requirement,

3. less spoilage and wastage, and

4. the capability to produce full-course meals in bad weather.

Nutritionally balanced meals can be provided by planned menus.The wide variety of convenience foods allows the use of cycle menus whichcan be drawn up for long periods without predictably repeating specificfood items.

Tighter control of ordering and daily cost records are simplifiedwhen based on comprehensive menus. Appendix IV shows a sample daily menuorder and cost control form.

9

A P PEN D I X I

CONVENIENCE FOOD MENU SERVED FEBRUARY 26 TO MARCH 6, 1977

ON BOARD C.G.S. CYGNUS

SATURDAYFebruary 26

SUNDAYFebruary 27

LUNCH

a) Minestroneb) Beef Stew & Vegetablesd) Minute Riceh) Tossed Saladf) Chocolate Layer Cake

a) Beef Barley Soupb) Fish Cakese) French Friesa) Hot Beetsh) Vegetable Saladf) Peach Pie

DINNER

a) Soup of the Dayb) Veal Cutlet Tom. Saucee) Parsley Potatoesf) Corn Nib1etsh) Cole Slawc) Pears-Helene

a) Soup of the Dayb) Liver & Onionsg) Scallop Potatoesf) Cauliflowerf) Mixed Vegetablesf) Jelly Roll/Vanilla Sauce

MONDAYFebruary 28

TUESDAYMarch 1

LUNCH

a) Chicken Noodle Soupb) Cabbage Rollsd) Mashed Potatoesf) Diced Carrotsh) Tossed Saladf) German Chocolate Cake

a) Scotch Brothb) Roast Beefe) Roast Potatoesf) Mixed Vegetablesh) Cole Slawb) Deep Dish Apple Pie

a) Soup of the Dayb) Macaroni & Beefh) Peas

Potato Salad

Soup 0 f the Dayb) BBQ Chicken Breast & Legs

French FriesBrusselDINNER

to convenience of

a) Cannedb) Precooked & Frozenc) Portion Controlledd) Instant

e) Peeled & Refrigeratedf) Frozeng) Dehydratedh) Ready Prepared & Refrigerated

10

WEDNESDAY THURSDAYMarch 2 March 3

a) Clam Chowder a) Cream of Mushroom Soupb) Meat Pie (Tourtiere) b) Chicken Cacciatore

LUNCH f) French Fries g) Hashed Brown Potatoesh) Vegetable Salad f) Whole Carrotsf) French Crumb Cake h) Chef Salad

f) Banana Cake

a) Soup of the Day a) Soup of the Dayc) T-Bone Steak g) Spaghetti &d) Mashed Potatoes b) Meat Balls

DINNER f) Peas & Carrots d) Mashed Potatoesh) Cole Slaw a) Hot Beetsf) Ice Cream h) Vegetable Salad

b) Raisin Pie

FRIDAY SATURDAYMarch 4 March 5

a) Cream of Tomato Soup a) Green Pea Soupc) Pork Chops & Apple Sauce b) Swiss Steak & Gravy

LUNCH g) Scallop Potatoes d) Mashed Potatoesf) Green Beans f) Corn Nibletsh) Tossed Salad h) Vegetable Saladb) Blueberry Pie f) Pumpkin Pie

a) Soup of the Day a) Soup of the Dayb) Salisbury Steak & Onions b) Salmon Piee) Roast Potatoes f) French Friesf) Lima Beans f) Mixed Vegetablesh) Chef Salad h) Tossed Saladf) Cherry Cheese Cake b) Ice Cream

11

A P PEN D I X I I

AFTER-MEAL QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Crew Members:

To improve the quality and variety of food served, we would

appreciate your personal judgement of the meal you just received.

Very Good Good Disliked (Please Comment)

Soup D D DMeat D D DPotato D D DVegetable

Salad

Dessert

CO:fv1MENTS:

o o12

D

A P PEN D I X I I I

OVERALL QUESTIONNAIRE

The food you received on this trip, did you think it was:

Very Good D

Good DFair ~

Poor ~

PLEASE COMMENT:

13

I-'.I::>

A P PEN D I X I V

SAMPLE DAILY MENU ORDER & COST CONTROL SHEET

STOCK ITEMS ITEMSMENU ON HAND USED CARRIED OVER RE-ORDER COST PER UNIT FOOD COST