We designed programs
to help your company increase profits reduce waste,
guarantee consistent recipes and maximize profits
by limiting waste in restaurant and other healthcare
food service kitchens.
Portion Control
Portion control is important throughout food production
and meal service. It involves careful menu planning
and purchasing procedures, as well as accurate measuring
during food production and meal service.
How can portion control help you manage more effectively?
Portion control helps to ensure that meals will
meet USDA requirements
Customers will be satisfied with consistent servings
Reduces waste and leftover food
Minimizes the possibility of running short of food
during meal service
Helps to effectively control costs Provides a guide
for the ordering of food
Tools of the trade for portion control
Portion scale – institutional type
Scoops or dishes corresponding to planned serving
sizes
Ladles and/or spoons corresponding to planned serving
sizes
Portion control chart for food service staff
Steps for Effective Portion Control:
Menu Planning
Menus should be planned first to meet USDA requirements
for Food Based plans or Nu-Menus plans. The portion
size will help to determine if these requirements
are met. Refer to the School Breakfast and School
Lunch Meal Patterns and to the Grain-Bread Chart
to make certain that components are met on the Food
Based plans.
Nu-Menus are based on meeting nutrition standards.
Adjust portion sizes as needed to meet these targets.
Food Production Plans
Food Production Plans should include the portion
size and the number of planned servings.
Purchasing
Purchasing is based on the planned portion size
and the planned number of servings. Refer to the
Food Buying Guide for number of purchase units requested.
Child Nutrition (CN) labels on some purchased foods
will indicate how much of each component is included
per serving, if Food Based Plans are followed.
Food Production
Use standardized recipes for food production. A
good standardized recipe will include the exact
amount of ingredients to use for the number of planned
servings. The serving size should be written on
the recipe. Weigh and measure carefully for consistent
yields.
Food Transport
Count or measure servings of food sent to transport
sites to minimize waste and avoid shortages of food.
Meal Service
It is the responsibility of the food service manager
to communicate to servers which portion utensils
to use on the line. Servers should use the correct
utensil and measure portions accurately. Serving
a scant portion results in less calories and nutrition
offered to the student; over-serving results in
possible shortages and higher food costs. (See examples.)
Examples of Poor Portion Control
Example No. 1
Using the USDA recipe of Macaroni and Cheese for
100 servings, the portion size indicated is 2/3
cup (#6 scoop), with 4 gallons total quantity of
product.
If the server rounds the scoop to serve 3/4 cup,
then there will be a shortage of more than 13 servings
of the original 2/3 cup measure planned.
Example No. 2
At Abe Stark Healthcare Centers, 1/2 cup canned
fruit is offered on the line every day. 300 students
eat almost daily and 250 usually take fruit. The
server rounds up the portion about 2 tablespoons
per lunch every day. Over the school year the extra
food cost amounts to approximately $1,530.
Average cost of a case of fruit:
Applesauce $12.75 Cost per TB=.01 cents
Fruit Cocktail $25.25 Cost per TB=.02 cents
Peaches $24.00 Cost per TB=.02 cents
Approximately 1200 Tablespoons per case:
Average cost per TB= .017
Cost per 2 TB= .034
Daily extra cost=.034 X 250=$8.50
Extra cost for 180 school days=$1,530
Portion Control Capacity Guide Chart
Select the portioning utensils from the following
chart that will give the appropriate measure. Quantities
are equivalent from left to right.
Cups Approximate Measure Portion spoon/Ladle size
Approximate Measure Scoop Size
1/8 cup 1 oz #30
1/4 cup 2 oz #16
1/3 cup #12
3/8 cup 3 oz #10
1/2 cup 4 oz #8
2/3 cup #6
3/4 cup 6 oz
1 cup 8 oz
