June 6, 2012

Onsite Foodservice News Market Reports Food Quiz Discussion Subscription Information

	Hospital food goes gourmet
	Portland schools eliminate styrofoam use after saving $50,000 in new recycling initiative
	Students Square Off to Be 'Top Chef' of Cafeteria
	School Districts Just Say No to LFTB
	Schools turning their nose up at 'pink slime', opting for beef without the filler
	School lunch aide again saves a student's life performing Heimlich maneuver
	A tiny fish called tilapia is bringing big rewards to school
	Are School Cafeterias Hindering Classroom Success?
	San Diegeo school lunch orders go online

Welcome New Members from Onsite Foodservice!
	Dennis Rasmussen, Joined on: May 31, 2012 Occupation: Manager

	Vikas Sharma, Joined on: May 31, 2012 Occupation: Manager

	Shawn Fowler, Joined on: May 30, 2012 Occupation: Manager

	Chaim Becker, Flushing, NY Joined on: May 30, 2012 Occupation: Other

View updated pricing and information each week on the website for the following food-commodity markets:

Pork Commentary	View Detail
With the first major summer holiday behind us and a shortened harvest week, sellers of loins and butts were able to hold prices stable for prompt shipments on limited supplies. Although, trading levels for later next week were weaker, due to limited buyer interest, thus wide price ranges throughout the week. Abundant offerings of spareribs carried over from last week and prices deteriorated daily. The shortened holiday week left most buyers buying hand to mouth as light offerings for pork trimmings caused the largest price advances not seen in some time due to light inventories and moderate buyer interest. Sausage manufacturers ramped up production in preparation for the next holiday which is just about four weeks away as summer grilling season is in full swing. Processing cuts such as(hams and bellies) experienced mostly light to moderate demand and offerings though price levels firmed on just a few loads. Overall, trimmings along with processing cuts lent support to the cutout throughout the week.
Beef Commentary	View Detail
Boxed beef cutout values were higher on moderate demand and light to moderate offerings. Reports of active clearance in the beef case over Memorial Day weekend appear to be well founded as cutout values advanced with early week fill in business. The biggest gains of the week were in the Choice rib and loin complex. End cuts remained generally steady throughout the session. Forward business slowed down considerably this week. Beef trimmings were generally steady on the session from a weighted average pricing standpoint, although price ranges continue to vary dramatically. Fed cattle and blended coarse grinds trended lower on light to moderate demand and moderate offerings.
Produce Commentary	View Detail
Strawberries - The quality is good due to the nice weather, there seems to be plenty of Strawberries with a stable market. Watsonville & Salinas are the main growing area supplying strawberry; they are running large 9 – 14 count with 95% full color Cantaloupes/Honeydews – Due to the cooler weather in the Imperial Valley cantaloupes are limited since production is slowing down. The quality are good on the both the Honeydews and cantaloupes. The smaller size cantaloupes are tight as the Honeydew is plentiful. Lettuce/Leaf- Lettuce markets are active with tight supplies, as we are seeing higher prices. We are seeing aggressive pricing on Romaine from the majority of the suppliers. There are great supplies out of the Santa Maria market, as well as the Salinas market. Red & Green Leaf has strong availability. We are seeing some quality issues coming from the new fields. Weight of the iceberg is 44-46 lbs. Cauliflower-Cauliflower is creeping up in price; we are seeing some brown spotting Celery- Due to some seeding issues we are seeing some stronger markets. Supplies on 24’s and 30‘s are good. We have seen some browning on the ends. The main area of production continues to be Oxnard with a little production out of Santa Maria. Asparagus- Very low volume due to the cold weather in Peru overall but on the larger sizes Europe is offering higher prices so the growers in Peru are opting to send the product to them instead of here. Domestic grass is winding down. Demand exceeds supplies. Tomatoes- Florida tomatoes are short causing high markets situations, since Ruskin and Palmetto are finishing up, little is coming from Quincy As we move north to Beaufort/ Charleston , South Carolina - those area have seen some heavy rains , we will know more next weeks as the growers are evaluating their fields.. The Western markets are seeing some of the same opportunities as the east creating some high round tomato markets. The National Diesel Average has been recorded at $3.897 this week, Produce reports brought to you this week by NPC Inc.
Poultry Commentary	View Detail
Prices for whole broiler/fryers are steady at best in the Midwest, steady to weak in the East, and steady in the West. Preliminary majority prices are unchanged in the West and Midwest when compared to early week prices. Offerings cover the full range but are noted as mostly moderate for current trade needs. Retail and food service demand is light to moderate going into first of the month business. Floor stocks are mixed as many purchase hand to mouth. Market activity is mostly slow to moderate. In the parts structure, movement is light to moderate for late week trading as issues with trucking availability persist in parts of the Midwest. Prices are trending weak to lower for boneless skinless breast, tenders and dark meat items. Whole breast and wings prices are trending steady to weak. Offerings of tenders, boneless skinless breast and dark meat items are readily available and competitively priced. Market activity is mostly slow to moderate. In production areas, live supplies are moderate at mixed, but mostly desirable weights.
Dairy Commentary	View Detail
Cheese plants were busy over the holiday weekend as surplus milk was available. Production of cheese is increased over last year and supplies are described as manageable. The CWT program continues to assist with export sales. As reported in the National Dairy Retail Report this week, retail advertising of cheese at grocery stores increased for 8 oz. shred and block cheese from two weeks ago. Cheese prices continued to rally for most of the week, although barrels declined slightly at weeks' end following nearly three weeks of strength. Another earthquake in Northern Italy this week may further affect supplies of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese which ages for 2 years. The AA cash butter price at the CME continues to firm. The current cash price of $1.4000 is the highest since late April and compares to $1.3875 last Friday, $1.3550 a month ago, and $2.1625 last year. Churning activity during the past week increased as surplus cream volumes, especially over the holiday weekend, were heavier. Many butter producers did indicate that weekend cream offerings were not as heavy as anticipated. Some ice cream manufacturers maintained steady production schedules during the holiday period, which is often not the case during a holiday weekend. For the most part, milk production has peaked across the country and is holding at high levels or declining at varying rates. Temperatures across the country are starting to heat up, but are not detrimental to cow comfort and milk output at this time. Over the past holiday weekend, surplus milk volumes were basically manageable with no significant difficulties in processing the milk reported.

The importance of correct procedures?

Community member Quickserve writes...

I am a shift manager for a well-known fast food franchise. I've had the position for about a year now and am feeling frustrated about it.

I have bosses that give no care to food quality at our store. Our official company policy regarding making and staging food is to cook a little at a time but always be cooking food and honoring hold times in order to deliver on freshness. However, my bosses do not abide by this, train people on it, or care about our food quality lately.
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BBQ Decor Ideas

Community member BBQGIRL writes...

I've learned recently that updating your restaurant decor is a useful strategy for growing your clientele by drawing in more customers. We have a small family run BBQ & Southern cuisine restaraunt in a mid size California community of about 85,000 population. it is only 1200SF and currently seats about & 25-30 with little outdoor sidewalk seating for 4-6 more. I do not want the tradtional BBQ themed decor of antiques, farming equip, etc because our competitors have done that. Any ideas/...

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Tip-Outs for Host, Dining Asst & Bartender

Community member Parky's writes...

Just curious what others require for tip-outs to bartenders, hosts and dining assistants ("busboys"). We are considering updates and would like to be inline with other casual dining establishments. Our bartenders, hosts and dining assistants are paid $4 to $5 per hour plus tips. Servers tip-out 5% of bar sales to bartenders, 1% of net sales to a single host, and 1.1% of net sales split between a host and dining assistant scheduled on the same shift....

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Precious Thing

I originated in Ancient China and Eastern Asia, and I am a fundamental food in many Asian and European countries. In the 1800's Chinese gold prospectors brought me to the United States via California. I am often called the staple food of the poor, but was referred to as a "precious thing" in 17th century Chinese literature. People call me by many names and most of those names are incorrect. I am often called celery or mustard, but people are wrong to do so. In Laotian I am even called hach us. Since I am a precious thing, simply asking for me by name is not enough, you will need to recognize me in a crowd. So use your accomplished eye when picking me out of the crowd of leafy vegetables. To aid in your quest I will tell you that I have long glossy white stalks and deep green leaves that are shaped like spoons. In my natural and pristine state I am packed full of vitamins A and D. So you should call me by name because in choosing me you will get two veggies for the price of one: leaf and stem. As a baby I am tender and can be mixed in a salad. The base of my head is white and is formed by long glossy stalks that are fleshy, and crisp, and have a milder taste when cooked. My raw leaves are tangy and peppery in flavor and become sweet and tender when cooked. My leaves taste best when added after my stalks have been cooking for a bit. I can be boiled, or steamed, but taste best when stir fried and seasoned with ginger, sesame seeds or hot peppers

What am I?

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