We have already concluded in previous chapters the importance of maintaining a balanced load to support the ship's mission. In this regard, procedures should be set in motion to control your inventory levels. This includes employing safeguards for the security of your inventory.

These procedures should contain provisions for reviewing the accuracy of inventories, actual issues, and records. You should review these items as necessary to ensure the continued availability of balanced stocks.

The actual (physical) inventory of food items on board should be accurately reflected in the inventory records. Improperly kept records support practices that, without exception, will lead to inefficiency and cause losses in money and material.

Stock Maintenance

The topics discussed next are critical in the efficient maintenance of required stock levels.

You should constantly check your food inventory to ensure rotation and use of stocks to prevent oversupply, which may result in surveys. Store stocks so the oldest stocks can be used first.

Review past usage records regularly. They will help achieve balanced requisitioning by showing what is on hand and what items are needed.

Make sure menu changes are kept to a minimum. An accumulation of menu changes can unfavorably affect your balanced load, either increasing or decreasing the planned usage of food items. This results either in stocks being depleted faster than expected or unused stocks unnecessarily taking up storage space.

Adjust your high and low limits as necessary to adapt to an increase or decrease in crew size. This helps make sure you order an accurate quantity of food items for a loadout.

Regularly review food stocks currently on hand during underway periods. If inventories point out stocks that are in either long or short supply, temporary adjustments to the cycle menu can be made to balance stocks.

ISSUE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.Repeated use of your menus and breakout guides allows you to adjust breakout requirements to match the quantities actually needed for preparation of the meals by yielding breakout information that closely reflects actual requirements.

When you review a document requesting an issue, you should make sure it reflects only the items actually needed and in the correct quantities.

Authorization.-Documents requesting breakouts to the galley must be approved by the FSO or a person designated in writing by the FSO. The FSO establishes controls to account for each issue document. Issue documents are prepared in triplicate and approved by the senior MS on duty. The original should be forwarded to the FSO on the morning following the date of issue.

Documentation.- Issues to the GM must be made either on a NAVSUP Form 1282 or a NAVSUP Form 1059, each prepared in triplicate. Issue procedures were discussed in detail i  c a ter 2

RETURN OF UNUSED ISSUES TO STOCK ON HAND.- Return all unused and unprepared food items remaining in the galley after completion of meal periods to the issue storeroom at the end of each day. The NAVSUP Form 1282 containing the daily issues should be changed to document items and quantities returned and reflect any quantities issued to the galley. The NAVSUP Form 1282 should be signed by both the senior MS on duty and the issue-storeroom custodian.

FREQUENT SPOT INVENTORIES.- Frequent (twice weekly recommended) counting of fast-moving and high-cost items is advisable to maintain financial control of GM accountability. When spot inventories are conducted, all affected records should be adjusted.

Key Custody and Controls

Afloat Supply Procedures, NAVSUP P-485, and Food Service Management, NAVSUP P-486, describe current security information.

The basic rules set down by the NAVSUP P-485 for key security are as follows:

Supply spaces must be kept locked when not in use.

Custody and responsibility for any space must rest with the person in charge of that space.

Permission for entry of persons not ordinarily authorized to have access must be obtained from the supply officer, FSO, or a delegated representative.

No space should be secured in such a manner that access by use of ordinary damage control equipment is hindered in an emergency.

Keys to supply space padlocks must not be taken from the ship and should be turned in to the key locker when the custodian goes ashore. Keys to GM working spaces may be passed between watch captains and not locked in the key locker.

Whenever an original or duplicate key is lost, a new lock must be placed in use.

Combinations to locks must not be recorded in writing except for a written combination in a sealed opaque envelope. This envelope must be signed over the flap by both the custodian and the accountable officer in the presence of one another and retained in the accountable officer's safe.

All key padlocks must be of 1 1/2-inch size.

All keyless padlocks used must be of the three-combination, manipulation-resistant type. Aboard submarines, because of unique space limitations, damage control purposes, and the necessity for storing material in widely separated small spaces, it is not feasible to keep all supply spaces locked. Fleet, type, and local instructions make necessary provisions for appropriate deviations.

Train your personnel to lock the padlock on the staple and remove the key whenever they enter a storeroom or other locked supply department space. This procedure prevents keys from being locked in the storeroom and locks from being lost or switched by unauthorized personnel. It also prevents members from being locked in the space by a passerby who may think the space has been left unlocked by oversight.

LOCK GROUPINGS AFLOAT.- Aboard ship, the locks of the foodservice division are integrated with those of the rest of the supply department. Locks and keys for individual spaces are grouped by the following functional areas:

Group I spaces consist of all supply department and general stores spaces, including storerooms, special lockers, and related spaces.

Group II spaces consist of foodservice spaces including the galley, bake shop, bread room, vegetable preparation area, foodservice issue room, meat preparation area, refrigerated spaces, and foodservice storerooms.

* Group III spaces consist of the ship's retail and clothing stores, the fountain, vending machines, and related bulk storerooms.

Group IV spaces consist of the ship's service activities such as the barbershop, tailor shop, dry-cleaning shop, and laundry.

For all afloat groups, each lock must be opened by an original and duplicate key different from the keys to any other space. Additionally, each group must have a master and one duplicate master key capable of opening every lock in the group. here also must be a grand master and one duplicate grand master capable of opening every lock in every group. NOTE: Group III has special keyless padlocks that are excepted.

Afloat, accountable food items must always be kept under lock and key. The only exception is when the bulk of such material needed for a required endurance load makes storage under lock and key impractical. Storage of accountable food outside of locked and controlled storerooms should not be done without the knowledge and consent of the supply officer. Physical inability to store all items under lock and key may mitigate, but does not relieve the FSO or his or her responsibility for accountability.

LOCKS ASHORE.- At ashore GMs, the locks of the foodservice division may or may not be integrated with other locks of the supply department. In either case, the FSO must be knowledgeable of the existence and have control over any master and duplicate master keys that can open foodservice spaces.

The following procedures further outline custody and handling of keys:

No two spaces should have locks that can be opened with the same original and duplicate key except master and grand-master keys.

0 The person in charge of the space must get the original key from the general key locker at the beginning of the day. This person must keep possession of the original key during working hours and return it to the general key locker after working hours.

The general key locker should be located in the supply office to provide centralized key control.

0 Duplicate keys should be kept in a duplicate key locker in the supply office or in the supply officer's safe.

The supply officer may authorize a special duplicate key locker when procedures require recurring use of duplicate keys.

0 When these procedures do not satisfy local circumstances, the supply officer may prescribe in writing alternate procedures to ensure proper control of keys and access to spaces.

Equipment and locker keys to cabinets and small nonaccountable gear storage lockers located in the common messing area are controlled as directed by the FSO.

As department head, the supply officer has overall accountability and right of access to all foodservice spaces. This right of access does not compromise accountability.