Disaster preparedness in foodservice: Government agency recommendations, industry behavior, and the impact of a power loss on refrigeration

Joseph M Scarcelli, Purdue University

Abstract

Disaster preparedness can take many forms, depending on the locale, type of disaster (natural or man-made, intentional or unintentional), and type of foodservice operation. This study analyzed three aspects of preparation by means of three separate studies. The first analyzed the content of available government agency information concerning preparation for natural disasters by restaurant foodservice operations. This study was performed online, and was approached from the perspective of a restaurant owner or manager seeking information on the subject of disaster preparedness. Therefore a common Internet search engine (Google©) was used, and information was collected from government websites that appeared in the search results. Results from this analysis revealed that there is myriad information available, but that the information could be better organized or presented for the end consumer. The second study looked at what preparation measures were already in place in Indiana restaurants. This study consisted of an online survey of the members of the Indiana Hospitality Association, whose members are restaurant owners and managers from across the state. While the response rate to the survey was too low for the results to be generalizable, as a pilot survey results indicate that most restaurants carry insurance to cover losses due to natural disasters. Additionally, most had plans in place for dealing with commonplace disasters (i.e. fire) and disasters common to that region of the country (i.e. tornadoes, winter storms), but not for disasters that could be perceived as less likely to happen (i.e. flooding, earthquakes). However, less than half actually have written plans or a written chain-of-command for responding, and very few regularly drill their plans. The final study investigated what factors affected heat transfer to refrigerated food during a loss of power, and how the addition of ice changed that dynamic. Independent variables studied in this experiment were the starting temperature of the food inside the refrigerated cabinet, the amount of food contained within, the various positions of the food within, the external temperature, and whether or not ice was added after the power loss. Variables that impacted the final temperature were the starting temperature of the food, the amount of food, the external temperature, and the addition of ice. A model was created to predict surface temperatures after a loss of power; however it was not possible to create those predictions in trials involving the addition of ice.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Nelson, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Management

COinS