www.ohca.com SPRING/SUMMER 2023 The Oregon Caregiver 17 Senior living operations move at a fast pace. In dining and nutrition departments, that means getting the food order placed in an accurate and timely manner. What happens from there? What is the journey of the food order before it is prepared by chefs and turned into the residents’ favorite meals? A lot of logistics and human energy need to come together to make it possible for kitchens to receive a food order and get it prepared. Here’s a look at the life of a food delivery, from the perspective of a fresh-from-the-field product, like lettuce. From the Field Lettuce is a popular fresh veggie yearround and a must-have for senior living operations. As a food that is almost always eaten fresh, and with a short shelf life, lettuce is harvested and packed right in the field. Working with many small and medium-sized farms, food distributors must have dozens of partners to meet the demands of customers. Held in cold storage, lettuce is trucked to its destination. Food distribution companies, like Sysco, ensure that products requiring temperature control are held in the appropriate temperature range from the moment the cases of product are loaded for transport. Sysco is a major food distributor in Oregon, supplying most of OHCA’s member communities with weekly deliveries and partnering with Incite Strategic Partners to keep pricing affordable. Keeping the food supply safe and wholesome is the top priority in food distribution. Warehouse Huge warehouses with various levels of temperature control store fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable foods. A common misconception is that foods sit for weeks or months in distribution warehouses, waiting to be ordered by customers. However, in most cases, fresh products, like the head of lettuce, sit for only 2–3 days maximum. Delivery When a food order is placed, it is slotted into a delivery date and time to be prioritized appropriately for picking. Foods are picked from the vast warehouse shelves when an order is placed and prepared to be packed into the truck for delivery. Starting in the evening, warehouse employees have picked up more than 60,000 items by the time deliveries start early the next morning. Shelf-stable frozen and fresh products are picked separately in order to maintain temperature and quality. Lettuce would likely be picked near the end of the order fulfillment to keep it fresh and cool. Foods requiring temperature control are held in a safe temperature range for the entire loading and delivery process, with multiple food orders being fulfilled at once. Logistically, it takes complex processes and highly organized workers to fill hundreds of orders with thousands of products quickly and accurately. When delivery trucks are loaded, there can be up to 20 deliveries’ worth of items, loaded strategically so that the driver has access to the pallets in the right order for their route. From there, the delivery driver follows a set route to unload deliveries in the most efficient manner. Customers who download an app can even track the route of their delivery to better estimate delivery time and coordinate shipments so the lettuce makes it into the coolers in a timely manner. Many food service managers know their regular delivery drivers by name and maintain a friendly relationship with them. With fresh food deliveries happening all week long, customers can rest assured that every effort is made to bring fresh wholesome foods, like healthy and delicious lettuce, to supply senior living kitchens. Jen Bruning is the director of nutrition and brand innovation with Incite Strategic Partners, OHCA’s purchasing partner and an OHCA business partner. This article has been sponsored and provided by Incite Strategic Partners. SPONSORED CONTENT A Day in the Life of Your Produce By Jen Bruning, MS, RDN, LDN, Incite Strategic Partners
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