NCJ Number
191581
Journal
CTM-Corrections Technology & Management Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2001 Pages: 16-19
Date Published
2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article focuses on centralized foodservice in correctional facilities.
Abstract
The effective delivery of food services can make or break a correctional facility in terms of cost, morale, and liability exposure. The San Diego County, California, Sheriff’s Department has successfully embraced the concept of a centralized food processing center and utilizes two types of cook-chill methods and a pre-plate system to supply 43,000 meals a day to facilities around the county. The cost effective delivery of food using the centralized cook-chill methods have resulted in the generation of more than $1 million dollars in saving each year since 1991. The essence of this success is large-scale efficient production of food that is chilled and delivered in a timely manner to facilities around the county. The cook-chill process involves chilling cooked food rapidly to right above 40 degrees and keeping it there. There are two different types of cook-chill used at the San Diego facility: flash chill and tumble chill. The type used depends on the food being prepared. There is a difference of shelf life. Flash-chill yields about 5 days of shelf life while tumble-chill yields about 6 weeks of shelf life. A huge refrigerated meat room is the key to minimizing bacteria problems. A full-scale bakery operation was added to the center that provides fresh breads, rolls, buns, sweet bread, cakes, and even “jail house” cookies. Once prepared, much of the food is pre-packed in a manner widely used in schools. The use of inmates in food preparation is limited because of high turnover and the process being specialized. The keys to San Diego’s central food processing efforts are purchasing, food quality, labor, equipment costs, utility savings, and safety.