Akshaya Patra Foundation kitchens- Beyond just cooking!

The Akshaya Patra Foundation kitchens don’t just cook; rather they continuously equip themselves to cook efficiently. Each year all the kitchens receive training and inputs to function smoothly and effectively. This approach has motivated the kitchens of Akshaya Patra to be grounds for innovations. These innovations act as forward steps to transforming the working environment in The Akshaya Patra Foundation kitchens so as to improve and enable themselves to serve many more children. Some of the recent key improvements are as follows:

• 8 Akshaya Patra Kitchens scored more than 90% in GMP Audits (Good Manufacturing Practices Audits)    
• More than 1400 Kaizen Thunders were implemented across all kitchens 
•  More than 15 Six Sigma Projects were completed which resulted in process and efficiencies resulting in significant savings   
• 9 Quality Metrics were designed related to Raw Material Quality, Storage Quality, Production Process Quality, Vehicle Quality and Customer Satisfaction and began improvisations of the same.  
•  More than 2500 Staff Hours were engaged in Quality & Food Safety training.
• More than 10,000 man hours were engaged in Personal Hygiene and Food Safety & Quality training.

Talking specifically about Kaizen projects, these projects are a medium of continuous improvement in the work environment. Kaizen is a word of Japanese origin meaning ‘good change’. The Akshaya Patra Foundation implements Kaizen projects at various levels of its kitchen operations. Below are some of the many Kaizen projects implemented at The Akshaya Patra Foundation kitchens that resulted in cost effectiveness, time saving and enriching nutrition level.

• A Kaizen initiative by this NGO in Hubli kitchen resulted in price optimisation of raw materials and more variety of vegetables.    
• Route optimisation at Guwahati NGO resulted in reduction of fuel consumption and proved to be a cost saving initiative.    
• A Kaizen implementation of change in ingredient composition for preparing dal not only resulted in better taste and positive feedback from beneficiaries but also controlled cost per meal.   
• The initiative of starch less cooking In Bangalore’s Akshaya Patra kitchen received positive feedback from the children and contributed in enhancing nutritional levels, taste too. It also reduced cooking time and proved to be a cost effective initiative.

By employing various processes improvement methods The Akshaya Patra Foundation kitchens aim to raise the benchmark of efficiency and effectiveness in implementing the mid-day meal programme.