Technology Post

Posted on February 26th, 2023

Do we manage technology or is the technology managing us? Technology should be a tool. Our job is to understand it, know how it enables efficient, reliable, consistent, and resilient operations. The food industry – agriculture to food processing to food servicing is facing a significant shift as technology and culture shape how we approach food. In the past several years we have seen significant advancements in technology that has and continues to create new equipment that changes how we cook, prepare, and serve our food.

Equipment is becoming more intelligent and specialized making operations more automatized producing consistent and reliable products more efficiently, or at least that is the goal. Our challenge is the workforce – how do we navigate the technological advances and keep it simple for our staff? New equipment is more sophisticated but as simple as it is to push a button or use, building and maintaining the data base for its use is another piece of the puzzle. Can we execute? Today it is more imperative that we know and pair the right equipment/technology for our operational needs. This goes for all areas in the kitchen, – ordering process, storage, temperature control, cooking, serving, pot and dishwashing, waste management, cleaning. Understanding the menu and product mix, volumes, service needs and logistics for the operation is vital to getting the correct equipment, technology, and processes in place in the operation. This applies to robots too as an augment to the workforce.

One source for seeing new technology demonstrated is at NAFEM (National Association for Food & Equipment Manufacturing), recently held Feb 1-3. This is a show every two years. Companies showcase their new technology –

With the growing demand for electric equipment, there are significant improvements in induction technology giving operations good options to produce foods needing high heat and heat control where gas has been preferred.
Robotics to perform repetitive functions and support the workforce.
Food safety and equipment maintenance tracking built into equipment and service lines
Equipment flexibility – the ability to have one piece of equipment provide more functions such as serving foods hot, cold or from a frozen state.
Self-serving food options to include fresh food which gives organizations the flexibility to expand services in more places for both fresh and snack foods, beverages and sundries.
Self-serving kiosks and point of sale options have increased as well.
There is so much that the industry is doing to help the operator have the right equipment for their operation.

As we navigate through our technology choices, whether equipment or digitalization we need to ensure that we remember to look at the operation, stay focused on the operational purpose and develop your workforce so that we manage technology as well as the operation.

Remember Star Trek, the TV series? I find the correlations between Star Trek shows, the advancement in their sequels and technology we see today very interesting. The original start trek originating in the late 1960’s was very state of the art with computers, pads, communication tools that looked like our flip phones of the 1990s. The Next Generation was more advanced as was Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Each new series would take us into a new future with technology greater than the series before. In their worlds no one worried about food – you could go to a machine, pick what you wanted to eat, and a plate would appear. Today, how far away are we really from that happening?

Stay tuned as we explore different technology trends in 2023 and beyond.