Purchasing for Food Service Managers - 5th

The fifth edition of this popular text on food purchasing was up-dated throughout in 2005 to reflect developments in the food service industry since the fourth edition was published in 2000.
Chapters 1 and 3 include discussion of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Response Act, passed in reaction to the terrorist acts on September 11, 2001, and the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, as it affects food purchasing. Also in-cluded are updated data related to the food service industry and current trends, including the impact of the increasing usage of imported food.
Featured in this edition is completely new material for the chapters on technology, fresh fruits and vegetables, and con-venience foods.
The chapter on computers was revised in detail to empha-size the increasing use of technology in food purchasing. The types of technology systems and applications used by the food service purchaser are discussed, as well as strategies for using the technologies in the e-marketplace. The chapter provides an overview of Internet resources and specific web links of interest to food service buyers and managers.
The fresh fruits and vegetables chapter is extensive and includes discussion of organic and pre-cut products prepared by food processors as convenience items. The importance of imported fresh fruits and vegetables in U.S. markets and the application of terrorist-related legislation to these products is discussed as well as issues of food safety associated with all types of fresh fruits and vegetables. The major production areas for various commodities, factors in grades, and considerations in buying various forms of these foods have been updated.
The chapter on convenience foods discusses their common and greatly expanded use in the food service industry. Numer-ous exhibits are provided to illustrate the wide range of products available and provide a basis for discussing options for use in food service system design. Bases for decision making are pre-sented.
This edition offers complete coverage of the standards, prin-ciples, and procedures of quantity food purchasing, as well as complete coverage of the various commodities aspiring food buyers must understand, including a chapter on alcoholic bev-erages.
The book offers management a better understanding of the problems facing the professional food buyer. It demonstrates
how purchasing fits into the management system, and stresses the need for management support of the food buyer. It can also promote better communication among the food buyers, chefs, and other participants in the system.
The book describes techniques related to controlling the mar-ket search and to preparation and use of specifications and tests. The discussion on food specifications includes a section on irradiated foods. The chapter on controls and checklists ex-amines how computers can assist in the internal control system, and the chapter on computers and the food buyer discusses recent advancements in technology, including a list of websites of interest to food service buyers and managers.
The information on convenience and special dietetic foods is practical and useful to both the institutional and commercial food operator. The text on china, glassware, flatware, and linen includes a discussion of the popularity of glassware used today. The up-to-date discussions on cleaning supplies and equip-ment, which includes an examination of low-temperature dish-washers, make this text very helpful to the serious operators. Finally, the chapter on maintenance and service contracts re-veals how some operations can operate with almost no full-time service staff.

M.C. Warfel had more than fifty years of experience in food purchasing and operations. He was a vice-president of the Sheraton Corporation of America and a member of the faculty at the James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. His experience sets forth the practical aspects of the profession.

Marion Cremer is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Human Nutrition and Food Management at The Ohio State University and has extensive experience in teaching food pur-chasing to students in restaurant management and dietetics. She is a Registered Dietitian and has substantial experience in both hospital and restaurant food management.