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In starting a home based business, the owner needs to prepare his or her home for a few changes. While this isn’t being stated as a deterrent, it is nonetheless a reality. You will be running a company from inside your living space. How can things not need a few adjustments? Your office and kitchen will be in constant use when running a food business, and this must be taken into account. However, allow us to offer some friendly advice to make this transition a bit easier.

Working out of home can sometimes maintain the casual atmosphere of an environment. However, when it comes to your family and friends, you may have to make a clear distinction between work time and home time. By setting these boundaries, it can keep problems from arising.

Set aside a section of your home for business purposes only. This can do two things. When you are in this location, it will feel like work and help keep you focused. And second, it will also let family members understand that when you are in that section, you are at work as well.

Meetings with other will need to happen from time to time. Internet video conferencing is one possibility. They usually can be free. However, for better quality, you may want to consider paying a service. Getting a separate phone line in the house for business can be helpful as well and can avoid interruptions from other house members. And if meetings need to be held in person, temporary meeting rooms are available for a modest fee.

The goal in many ways is to make a clear distinction between home and work. This is a problem that many home businesses run into, either by self discipline or distractions from others. Be prepared!

 

This information has been graciously provided by Food Trade Consultants, the company that know what a new food business needs. Visit foodtradeconsultants.com to see what they have in store for you. 

A recent study conducted between the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic showed that food waste in America is exacerbated by the problematic expiration date system.  The current expiration date system is incredibly confusing and misleading for consumers and grocery store workers alike.

The study showed that up to 90% of Americans are throwing away food due to misinterpreting food labels.  Every package has expiration date labels on it, but the various messages can be difficult to understand.  Every package has a sticker with a label that either says “use by,” “sell by,” and “best before.”  The problem is that the average person is puzzled by what these all mean.

The most misleading sticker is the “sell by” date.  It’s often misinterpreted to mean that the food is expiring and needs to be thrown in the trash.   This sticker is actually meant for grocery store workers so that they know when to remove items from the shelf.  The report showed that Americans are wasting an incredible amount of food due to these labels.  It’s estimated that over 40% of America’s food supply is thrown in the trash can every year.

The dates that consumers should pay attention to are the ones labeled “use by” and “best before.”  Due to the widespread confusion in the expiration date system, it’s critical for the system to receive a complete overhaul.  Once the system is unified and clearer to consumers, the country’s waste will reduce significantly.

Guest post is provided by Food Trade Consultants, a leading food business consulting company that helps people succeed in the food industry.  Check out the foodtradeconsultants website for more information.

Guest post is provided by Food Trade Consultants, a consultation service offering seminars and packing of small orders to entrepreneurs in the food industry. Visit www.foodtradeconsultants.com for more information.

If you plan to start your own food business, especially if you plan to sell your product in grocery or wholesale stores, food trade consultants will recommend that you get a UPC code. In fact, they even feel it is a necessary requirement for a successful business in the food industry. UPC codes allow your wholesale customers to quickly scan your products to track them for their own records, as well as send you payments.

If you look around your own kitchen you will notice that there are UPC codes everywhere. Anything that is packaged has a UPC code, and even produce usually has a sticker. UPC stands for “Universal Product Code” and was created by a company called the Uniform Code Council (UCC) manufacturers can only use the UPC process if they apply for permission to use it from the UCC. This successful method of coding has revolutionized retailers and manufacturers alike, making selling and tracking incredibly efficient. Processing sales would take significantly longer and require more resources than simply scanning a UPC.

Food consultants advise you to register for two to three different UPCs, one for an individual sale of a product, one for multiple quantities of your product sold together, and one for palate sales of your product. It would be a good goal to get some accounts that want to buy a palate’s worth of product from you. Those are huge accounts indicative of your success. Without a UPC, a customer of yours may feel that your product will be too hard to track, or even violate their policies for selling it, causing them to pass you by. Avoid this by getting a UPC code for your product.

Article Submitted by Foodtradeconsultants

 

Off-site catering locations require for you to carefully transport your food from your commercial kitchen. Consider preparing the food that you will bring beforehand so that it will be easier for you to serve the food once you get to the venue. You should already cut your ingredients in your kitchen where you have access to available kitchen utensils and equipment.

Cold Food

Cook cold dishes in your commercial kitchen so that you have time to chill them before you place them in your van. Fresh ingredients such as vegetables and fresh fruits should be placed in a pan. You can refrigerate them a few hours before the trip. If you frequently have off-site catering locations, you can also invest in a refrigerated vehicle or purchase a food carrier that allows refrigeration of dishes which are already placed inside catering trays. You can also rent out a van if space if you only have a small vehicle for traveling.

Hot Food

Hot dishes should also be prepared in advance. Once you arrive at the location, you can re-heat the dishes since food warmers might not do the job adequately. You can also consider preparing casserole dishes a day prior to the event since they actually taste better when reheated. However, this strategy will not work with pasta or meat since they tend to get dry when reheated. Prepare such dishes a few hours before the trip or even see to it that they are cooked as soon as you are ready to leave. Transfer these dishes in their respective food pans after cooking so you can easily transport them in the food van.