Now is the time to update your recipes and menus within your menu planning software database! And if you’re still using paper recipes, then you’re certainly overdue for an upgrade!
Organizing your recipes within a database makes creating new ones a breeze. In addition, this aids in staying compliant and improves your odds of passing the menu portion of your administrative review with flying colors!
Whether you’re due for a “spring clean” of your current database, or due for a complete upgrade to a new nutrient analysis software, your My K12 Resource team can help. Let’s explore the benefits and timing for doing so.
Improved Organization, Efficiency and Productivity
Is your department’s recipe book overflowing? Pages covered with splatters of ketchup? A database full of recipes that are never used? Perhaps the Hamburger Surprise sounded like a good idea at the time, but your students just weren’t fans. No problem!
Now is a great time to archive and organize those recipes. By doing so, menu creation can be that much easier going forward. Think of how much easier your kitchen will hum. And think about how you and your team can focus on feeding your students nutritious meals instead of focusing on hunting down a recipe that went home with one of your staff members to make over the weekend!
Having an organized, efficient database of your recipes and menus will also improve employee productivity, without a doubt. Say farewell to the tiresome task of endlessly scouring for recipes, and the frustration of trying to recall how a recipe was categorized. You no longer need to worry about whether a recipe is standardized and compliant, or whether you have ordered too many carrots for next week. You won’t have to fret over food going to waste because your recipe didn’t note the correct yield.
Let nutrient analysis technology step in and work for you!
Understanding the Regulations
Why else might you want to upgrade or update your nutrient analysis database? Compliance! Standardized Recipes are a requirement for the Child Nutrition Programs including the National School Nutrition and Breakfast Programs. This regulation helps keep things consistent and most importantly ensures that the students receive the correct components. Standardization of recipes may vary from state to state.
However, here are the elements you’ll absolutely want to include:
- Yield and serving size
- Specific ingredient(s) (form, state, etc.)
- Weight and measures of the ingredients
- Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP)
- Instructions
- Components per serving
It is important to review your recipes to get prepared for the Administrative Review. Recipes are a large part of the menu review portion of the AR and ensuring they contain the key components is critical!
Timing Your Nutrient Analysis Software Upgrade
Let’s think ahead to your school start date this Fall. You should ensure that your recipes are organized and compliant at least 60 days before your start date for the school year. That means – let’s get busy putting a plan in place starting now! My K12 Resource is here to build or update your recipe database. Once you provide us with your data and order guide, we’ll take over from there by entering your ingredients, recipes and menus. Again, plan your time wisely – we’d love to have your information on hand sooner rather than later. Don’t wait until the day before school starts to think about your nutrient analysis software!
Steps to Take to Prepare for Your Upgrade
1. Collect. Collect all of your recipes and match them to the current menu.
2. Create. If there are any missing recipes, create a new recipe in your database.
3. Review. Ensure that each recipe meets state and federal regulations, ensuring compliance.
4. Clean Up. If you are using an electronic menu planning software, are there old and outdated recipes? Are all the recipes entered into the database? Pull all old recipes from your binder or database.
5. Organize. Recipes should be organized and available in each kitchen. Use an electronic filing system such as nutrient analysis and menu planning software to reduce paper cost. In the kitchen, if your staff does not have access to a computer, use recipe binders.
Allow your My K12 Resource team to help out!
Our team of experts can perform a quick and mighty recipe review! Send us an email and we’ll be in touch to answer all of your questions about the benefits of updating or upgrading your system today. Click the sticky note to your quote!
