By applying better measurement to its food portions, an award-winning gourmet meal
provider realised potential savings over £60,000 a year.

Family-owned Classic Cuisine provides frozen gourmet meals to the food service trade from a purpose-built factory in Northampton.

When a team from On-Machine Measurement visited the company on behalf of the National Measurement System, it found one of Classic Cuisine’s biggest business issues was product give-away. This was due to manual processes and the use of old hand-operated food depositors that resulted in portions between 20% and 40% larger than required by minimum weight legislation.

Classic Cuisine agreed to trial a self-calibrating depositor linked to a fast-response check-weigher. The measurement trial found an average give-away of 16g of filling on each savoury tart, which was costing the company more than £40,000 a year.

The total give-away was 5,920kg, the equivalent of 25,000 tarts. Classic Cuisine could save a further £20,000 in staff costs by introducing the new measurement technology.

The company was quick to recognise that new measurement techniques could save money and boost production. It is now preparing to invest in new equipment.

Quick facts

One of the food industry’s biggest issues is product give-away caused by inaccurate portion control

Better measurement techniques can control portion sizes, cut waste and increase production.

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