FOODSERVICE OPERATIONS, NAVSUP P-421.- Navy menus should be planned according to the principles of menu planning set forth in Foodseruice Operations, NAVSUP P-421. In the Menu Planning and Nutrition Education chapters of this publication, guidelines for Navy GMs are given that will meet the nutritional standards established by the Surgeon General.

STANDARDS OF FOOD SERVICE, NAVSUPINST 4061.11.- Section I of this instruction, Menu Planning and Food Preparation, establishes updated menu-planning standards that can be attained by all Navy GMs to assure wholesome, nutritious meals.

ARMED FORCES RECIPE SERVICE,NAVSUP P-7.- The AFRS, NAVSUP P-7, consists of a file of approximately 1,800 recipes and recipe variations printed on 5- by 8-inch cards. The cards are color-coded to make identification easier. The AFRS includes color photographs of certain recipe finished products, guideline cards, and line drawings of bread and sweet roll makeup procedures. The recipes are standardized to generally yield 100 portions and include efficient preparation techniques. The Index of Recipes, an adjunct to the AFRS, is a compact list of all recipes contained in the recipe service. Continuous use of the Index of Recipes in planning menus will help avoid menu monotony and will provide ideas for new menu combinations. Commands are encouraged to send their favorite recipes to NAVFSSO for consideration for inclusion in the AFRS. All recipes are tested and evaluated for militarywide acceptability and adaptability.

The AFRS is a basic tool for requisitioning and planning workloads. Cost records for individual recipes and recipe acceptability factors may be added to the recipe cards. Recipe cards are also used to obtain a plan for the most efficient use of galley equipment. The use of local recipes is encouraged. Local recipes should be in AFRS format and approved by the food service officer.

NAVY FOOD SERVICE, NAVSUP P-476.- This publication is a quarterly publication of NAVFSSO and is distributed to all activities having GMs. The publication contains useful information on commodities, equipment for galley use, GM modernization, revisions to publications, suggested special event or holiday menus, nutrition, sanitation, training, hints on food preparation, foodservice operations, menu planning, and recordkeeping.

Meal Attendance Predictions

Ashore units use signature head counts to document actual personnel fed. Afloat units underway receive full ration credit for all enlisted personnel entitled to be fed in the GM. A mechanical counting device should be used to determine ration credit for in-port periods based on the number of meals actually fed. There are variations in meal attendance from day to day and meal to meal. Head count records should be kept to show how many people were served at each meal. Estimates of future attendance are based on past records and experience. Factors such as weather, proximity to payday, and liberty trends must be taken into account when predicting attendance.