FACTORS THAT AFFECT MENU PLANNING

MENU PLANNING

This is an act of deciding in advance the types of foods or dishes to be included in a meal. This is necessary when food has to be bought, prepared, and served in large quantities to people of varying tastes and requirements. Menu planning is important for meeting the nutritional requirements of family members or guests.

Advantages of Menu Planning

Menu planning helps to provide appetizing, nourishing and attractive meals to customers at a fair price.
Menu planning ensures that food is not wasted because any left overs can be creatively incorporated in the next day’s menu which is already planned out.
Planned menus help to identify dishes that did not sell well in the past and the favorite dishes of the customers.
It saves time and effort spent on ordering, shopping and receiving of food materials.
Well planned menu increases frequency of customers and attract new customers.
Menu which is planned and cost in advance allows managers to quote prices instantly for a customer.

Factors That Affect the Menu Planning

Customer demand is being affected by the following factors:

The relationship between health and eating.
Dietary requirements.
Cultural and religious influence
Vegetarianism
Ethnical influences

EVALUATION

What is a menu?
Mention three advantages of menu planning.

1. Relationship between Health and Eating

The key issue in the relationship between health and eating is ensuring a healthy diet. This means eating a balanceddiet rather than viewing individual foods as somehow healthier or less healthy. Customers are increasingly looking for the availability of choices that will enable them to achieve a balanced diet. Customers are also requiring more specific information on methods of cooking used.For example, low fat and low salt methods.

2. DIETARY REQUIREMENT

There are a variety of medical conditions including allergies, which are more common than was previously understood. Customer may therefore require a certain diet for medical reason to prevent the occurring of such medical conditions. Examples of dietary requirements are:

ALLERGIES: Food items that are known to cause allergies to certain people include the gluten in wheat, rye andbarley (known as celiac). Sometimes these foods can cause anaphylactic shock resulting in the lips, tongue or throat swelling where prompt medical attention is needed in such cases.
DIABETIC: This refers to the inability of the body to produce sufficient level of insulin within the blood .An appropriate diet may include foods liked poached or grilled meat, grilled fish, fruit and vegetables, low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt, lean meat and fish.
LOW CHOLESTEROL: Diet will include polyunsaturated fats and may include limited quality of animal fats, others items eaten may include low fat milk, lean poached or grilled meat and fish, cheese and yoghurt.
LOW SODIUM SALT:This requires a reduction in the amount of sodium or salt consumed. Diets will include low sodium /foods and cooking with very limited or no salt.

3. CULTURALAND RELIGIOUS DIETARY INFLUENCE

Various faiths can also affect menu planning, because various faiths have different requirement in terms of dish and ingredient that member can consume and ones they do not consume .Examples of some cultural and religious influence are:

MUSLIMS: Will not consume alcohol or when alcohol is used in the cooking process. They also will not consume meat slaughtered outside Islamic law etc.
ROMAN CATHOLICS:Some members usually will not eat meat on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday. Some keep with the past requirement for no meat to be eaten on Fridays. Fish and dairy products may be eaten instead.

4.VEGETARIANISM

Vegetarianism may derive from cultural religious, moral, ethical orphysiological consideration. i.e. some people are vegetarians due to one of the factors listed and these can affect menu planning since there are things they eat and things they don’t eat. Examples of vegetarianism are:

LACTO OVO VEGETARIANS: Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, and poultry but take milk and milk products and eggs.
LACTO VEGETARIANS: Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, poultry and eggs but take milk and milk products
STRICT VEGETARIANS: Vegetarians are known as vegans. They do not eat animal and their products, but only vegetables or plant foods.
SEMI VEGETARIANS: People in this category do not eat red meat, but eat lean meat including poultry. Their diet also includes fish and other dairy and animal products.
FRUITARIANS: They are more restricted form of vegetarianism. Their diets include mainly raw and dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil. They do not take cereals and pulses.

5. ETHNICAL INFLUENCE

This has to do with where you come from e.g. in Nigeria, different ethnic groups have dishes peculiar to them.