Hospital Central Catering; Global Experiences, Local facilities An overview on Hospital central catering experiences in the world and Challenges for national interventions

Central catering is a food service package that aimed to prepare and transfer food packages from central kitchen to more than one target center in community. In this study we are going to review main equipment, facilities and activities in central catering, introduce two international experiences in the case and evaluate existing possibilities to food supply for Iranian hospitals by this mechanism.The kitchen as the heart of central catering usually is a vast space equipped with complex facilities. When building a new central kitchen or renovating an existing building, there are a multitude of factors that must be considered to ensure its efficiency and effectiveness. Issues that a foodservice manager would need to consider in planning of central kitchen include: ♦Human resource, ♦Layout and design of the facility, ♦Equipment, ♦Maintenance, ♦Purchasing, ♦Warehousing, ♦Communications, ♦Transportation, ♦Waste management, ♦Computer systems, ♦Miscellaneous operational issues, ♦Challenges/problems in operating a central kitchen, ♦Changes directors would make in their central kitchen The basic nature of the work in a central kitchen differs from that of a conventional onsite kitchen. Characteristics of the central kitchen work environment include: ♦ Heavy Lifting, ♦ Repetitive and Monotonous, ♦ High noise levels, ♦ Larger equipment results in more reaching, ♦ Refrigerated work environment and ♦ Rigorous standards.Here, some of these most important issues for setting up a central catering for hospitals are discussed:Training Training of employees for the central kitchen will be important for the success of the operation. Training is one strategy to ease employees’ apprehensions about change and improve their ability to adapt to change. Even if employees have lots of foodservice experience, the equipment and procedures used in a central kitchen will be different. There will need to be initial training on use of equipment and on the SOP to be used. Training also will be needed to ensure that employees know and follow the SOP related to HACCP. This is important because of differences in food handling procedures and the increased potential impact of a foodborne illness. In addition, ongoing training will be needed to restore foods’ nutritional values and to ensure that the operational goals and standards are met.Scheduling The scheduling of employees in a central kitchen differs from that of on-site kitchens. Many central kitchens operate 23 or 24 hours per day in most of the countries. In some communities, they are the only employer who runs a 3-shift operation. Bakers may begin work at 3 a.m. while other workers may begin work at 6 a.m. The goal of a central kitchen is to utilize the facility as much as possible. Computer Systems Computer systems are very important for central kitchen operations; however, there appears to be a lack of integrated software programs that meet the needs of central kitchens. The central kitchen must to be connected to the HIS of under the cover Hospitals. These equipment is needed to transfer and regulate patients, along the patients and hospital personnel’s diet organized by several Hospitals’ dietitians included regular and treatment diet.Staffing The staffing for a centralized foodservice system for hospitals differs from that required for conventional kitchens. In centralized foodservice systems, there usually are fewer staff hours needed at the satellites and more staff needed at the central kitchen. Likewise, the skill level of the staff may shift. There may be fewer skills required at the satellites and more skills required at the central kitchen.