Managed Services-The Managed Services of Food Services Operations for Health Care

Health Care

Challenges

1. Unique needs of each patient

Different patients need different kind of food according to their unique symptom. The preparation cost would be increased.

2. Costs of food services providing

Patients may concern about the cost of food service. They may not willing to afford the high price for those tasteless meals or unchanged menu.

3. Nutrition 

Since the patient is more knowledgeable and more easy to acquire information from the internet, they have more recognition and requirement on food nutrition. Hospitals need to strive the balance between providing nutritious food and maintaining cost effective.

Trend

1. Increase choices of healthy food diet

Patients now have more decision on the food diet in hospital which not only to provide a meal, but also provide healthier snack and juice. Hospitals also provide organic, local and sustainable food options to its patients.

2. Concern on decor in restaurant

Apart from the taste, decoration is another concern in a restaurant. The environment and atmosphere are also a direct factor to affect the patient's emotional status and recovery.

Reference:

http://www.gfs.com/en/food-service-distribution/healthcare

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20130427/MAGAZINE/301049827

Managed Services-The Managed Services of Food Services Operations for Schools

Primary & Secondary School

In Hong Kong, many primary and secondary school provide lunch service. Majority of primary schools and some secondary schools are not allow the student eat out, which means students have to stay in school for lunch. The lunch would be provided by a particular supplier which chosen by the school or the students bring their own lunchbox. 

Trends:

1.   One stop-catering service

Basically, the food supplier would provide door to door service for school. Once they finish the packing step at food production center, they would send the lunchbox directly to the school.

But recently, there is a trend to provide one stop-catering service in school. One stop-catering service is spare a space in school to prepare food for the students which like student canteen. One stop-catering service can improve the food quality.

2.  Be more environmental friendly
Green lunchbox become more popular in these few years. Some policy which favorite to the environment are also implemented by the food provider like allowing the student to choose different qualities of their own lunch box in order to reduce food wasting. Encourage the students to use the recycle utilities.

3.   Healthy diet
According to the Department of Health (DH) Student Health Service, childhood obesity rate has been maintaining the upward trend in the last decade and the trend continues. Researches nowadays confirmed that overweight children are more likely to stay obese in their adulthood. As evidence is clear that adult obesity is associated with many chronic diseases like heart diseases, diabetes, stroke and cancers, public health measures aiming at control of childhood obesity has become imperative.
  Therefore, DH has, together with the Education and Manpower Bureau (now Education Bureau) launched the "EatSmart@school.hk" Campaign (ESS) since the year of 2006. Joining hand in hand with major stakeholders in the education sector, an "EatSmart@School Campaign Steering Committee" was formed to steer the planning and implementation of health promotion programme related to healthy eating in primary schools. Apart from the setting up a"School Nutri-Agent Project" in 2006/07 school year, the project was further upgraded into the current "EatSmart School Accreditation Scheme (ESAS)" in the 2009/10 school year. 

For those joined school, they provide low fat, low sugar, low salt and high-fibre snacks for their student. And also promote the fruit month which provide some fruit to the students in lunch. 

 

Challenge:

1.  Decreasing in the total number of students
Regarding the low birth rate in recent decade, children are less then before. Therefore, fewer students in primary and secondary which narrow the school lunch service market.


2.  Cost Control
The recent trends are required the food supplier provide nutritional value, the cost must be higher than the non-nutritional one. In addition, the inflation rate is quite high and the government set up the lowest wages which are the factor increasing the cost. Thus, cost control would be one of the challenge of the food provider.

Reference:
http://school.eatsmart.gov.hk/b5/template/index.asp?pid=2012&id=3001
http://school.ecc.org.hk/tc_chi/archive/archive_video_promo.html

Managed Services-The Managed Services of Food Services Operations for Airlines and Airport

Challenges

Airport

1.Increasing Demanding Guests
The majority of the airport guests are businessmen and middle- to higher-class people, who may have higher expectations on the dining environment, food variety and food quality. 

2. Limited Food Variety
 Customers who are from different parts of the world have different eating habits. It is hard to include cuisines of all countries, given that the space is limited. The airport should provide one that is  accepted by the general guests. For example, the fast food restaurants.

3. Staff Recruitment
Recruitment of staff is difficult because the location of airports is quite distant from the city center, which increases the time and costs of commuting to work. 

4. Food Safety
It will be very troublesome if the food is not safe because the flight passengers are going to take the flight for a couple of hours. Under the worst circumstance, guests will be sick on the plane and it may be forced to make emergency landing.

5. Logistical Challenge
One of the biggest obstacles in airport units is the internal distribution that gets products from the vendor to the restaurant. Airports have off-site commissaries that store food, and those commissaries can sometimes be a couple miles off airport property. At the commissary, all products are delivered, separated, and transported to the restaurant within the airport. Most of the square footage in airport restaurants is allotted to the front of the house to maximize the speed capacity, so the whole issue of getting food into the airport is a logistical challenge.

6. Limited Space 
Due to the restrictions on storage space, deliveries are limited. Normally, most of the restaurants will only receive one delivery a day that must be enough to support the business for that day.

7. Unpredictable Demand
All concession locations in the areas of the airport impacted by delays must remain open to accommodate affected passengers. It poses a unique logistics challenge because of the unpredictable fluctuation of traffic and limited access to the commissary.

8. Higher Rents 
Normally, restaurants have to pay higher rents for the airports than other locations. Restaurants may have to reduce the costs and increase the price to pay the expensive rents.

Airlines

1. Logistical Operations
The operations of food logistics are complex, especially for the long-haul flights. Airlines need to provide 1 or 2 meals, with some snacks during approximately 1 to 10 hours. They have to keep the food fresh and hot. During the process from food delivering, separating, transporting and distributing to the guests on the planes, the food must be safe and hygienic.

2. Cost Control
The cost of the in-flight meals is included in the cost of the flight ticket. Airlines have to lower the cost of the meals, in order to compete for a lower price with other airlines.

3. Food Quality Control-Safety and Hygiene
Since the journey normally takes 1 to 10 hours and there are no doctors on the plane, airlines must minimize all the possibility of accidents brought by the in-flight meals. For example, the meals must prevent the guests from having allergy, choking or any discomfort resulted from dirty food.

4. Food Quality Control-Increasing Demanding Guests 
The majority of the flight passengers are businessmen and middle- to higher-class people, who may have higher expectations on the food variety and food quality. Also, they have different backgrounds so they may have different eating habits. It is challenging to satisfy all the guests with appetizing and tasty meals.

Recent Trends

Airport

1. Meals Generally Provided  by Contractors
Many international airports provide contracting opportunity for restaurants. The examples are as follow:

Philadelphia International Airport

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

2. Increased Number of Chain Restaurants in Terminals

Chain Restaurants in Terminal 1 in HKIA

3. More restaurants operate in the shared location-food court

Food Court of HKIA

Airlines

1. Provide Meals by Own In-flight Business 

LSG Lufthansa Service Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific Catering Services (HK)

2. Provide In-flight Catering Services by Contractors

Gate Gourmet Hong Kong

3. Decrease in In-flight Catering Services especially for the domestic or budget airlines

4. Earn extra revenues from In-flight Catering Services
Some airlines sell snacks and optional meals to trim costs and earn revenues, especially the domestic airlines and budget airlines such as Hong Kong express.

5. Menu design
a) Remain fresh: 
    Some food can be kept on the plane for longer time but its taste does not be     affected, such as canned vegetables and cold dishes.


b) Safe: 
    Boneless food can prevent people from choking. Avoid providing some food that is easy to lead to allergy such as peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish, unless special request. It is better to understand guests' special meal request before the journey.


c) Simple: 
    It will be easier for logistical operations.


d) General but Customized:
     For example, provide chicken instead of pork for Islamic guests.

Reference

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/store/prepare-takeoff

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/store/prepare-takeoff

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/store/prepare-takeoff

http://www.lsgskychefs.com/

http://www.cpcs.com.hk/

http://www.gategourmet.com/home