≥1 piece |
These food specifications describe the grade of the food (i.e., Grade A eggs), count per container, forms
According to The Comprehensive Food Service Purchasing and Specification Manual, a bid specification is “a ready reference to the standards by which you measure the foods you specify for purchase and inspect upon delivery.”Personnel with little or no foodservice or nutrition training working in these Programs may not be familiar with the bid specification process, which gives a detailed description of the product ordered and provides the receiving clerk with information on acceptable food products. These food specifications describe the grade of the food (i.e., Grade A eggs), count per container, forms (such as cut, whole, sliced, whether the product is canned, fresh, dehydrated, frozen), weight ranges, trim ranges, ripeness, brand, fat content, sweetness, additives, and drained weight. Meats and meat products are identified by cut, fat content, and weight. Bid specs should require that they be free of odor or signs of deterioration. Dairy Products should specify the specific unit size (½ pint versus pint of milk), fat content (2% versus whole milk), receiving temperature and within a specified expiration date deadline. Bid specs for Fresh Fruit and vegetables should include the grade, size, ripeness, as well as count. It is important to order canned items in a unit size appropriate for the menu (#10 can vs #30 can) to avoid waste if more is ordered than needed. Form is also important. Are products received in the form ordered (stewed versus whole or diced)? It is important to determine if the product received is appropriate for the desired use. An example is ordering Grade A tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, when Grade B tomato would suffice. Acceptable substitute products should be written into the bid spec. A comparable item can be sent instead of a lesser quality food when an ordered item is unavailable from the purveyor. How do I recognize a good bid spec? Good bid specs include a short, clearly written description of the desired product, the quality of the product, USDA or industry standards, pack size, can size or weight, and yield per unit. Some examples are included at the end of this document. Because their use is so important, a list of key references is also included. Do other federal Nutrition Assistance Programs use bid specs? The School Nutrition Program, one of the largest Nutrition Assistance Program, is highly regulated by the USDA. Bid spec use is mandated by federal regulations. They use only bid specs that will be checked for compliance at point of receipt. Therefore, informed staff is crucial for successful use of bid specs. A well developed bid spec will be useless if the receiving clerk is not informed on what are acceptable products. A professional development course entitled, “Prime Purchasing Practices” was developed in 2005 in response to a questionnaire sent to over 100 School Nutrition Association Members regarding their purchasing practices.The course teaches best purchasing practices to school nutrition managers. Federal regulations for OAA Nutrition Programs are fewer. The OAA delegates the authority to operate OAA Nutrition Programs to the States. What is the extent of use of bid specifications in OAA Nutrition Programs? Because there was little information available on bid spec use in OAA Nutrition Programs, the National Resource Center on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Aging developed a 19-question online survey. It was emailed to the Listservs members of 2 national Aging Network organizations: 614: Meals on Wheels Association of America, Inc. (MOWAA) 477: National Association of Nutrition & Aging Services Provider (NANASP). Sysco, one of the largest food vendors in the US, was contacted to gain insight on bid specifications. They were in the planning stages of writing a “Best Purchasing Practices” manual for their clients in OAA Nutrition Programs regarding the value of using bid specifications. What were the Survey results? The low response rate of 5% (50/1091) suggests a low use of bid specifications in OAA Nutrition Programs. There is a need for standardized bid specs and implementation at local and AAA levels to improve product expectations, cost controls and food quality. What are the characteristics of OAA Nutrition Programs that use bid specs
Type: Cashew Nut | Cultivation Type: Common | Processing Type: Raw |
Style: Fresh | Place of Origin: Cameroon | Brand Name: cashewnuts |
Model Number: 1 | brown: brown |