Planned production vs. actual consumption: how to ensure reliable management of foodservice operations
September 09 2025The discrepancies between planned production and observed consumption represent a major issue for foodservice players. They weigh on the material cost, fuel food waste and complicate compliance with regulatory targets (Climate and Resilience law, -50% waste by 2030).
Their reduction relies not on one-off actions, but on a combination of structured methods, reliable data and adapted digital tools. Four technical approaches stand out today for improving operational steering.
Why do production/consumption discrepancies appear?
Despite the rigor of the teams, these discrepancies persist for several reasons:
- Fluctuating forecasts: variations in guest numbers, menu adjustments, specific diets
- Insufficiently frequent inventories: monthly or weekly statements generating a mismatch with reality on the ground
- Multiple storage zones: discrepancies between cold, dry and frozen zones not consolidated in real time
- Traceability requirements: regulatory compliance requiring precise reference tracking
Method 1: increase inventory frequency and accuracy
A daily or multi-weekly inventory by product makes stock photography more reliable and reduces discrepancies. It enables:
- Immediately compare theoretical inventory and actual inventory .
- Identify operational losses (breakage, expiry, portioning)
- Adjust next days' production accordingly .
Method 2: deploy multi-zone management
The multi-zone management provides better consolidation of stock data by storage zones:
- Improved accuracy of Weighted Average Price and material cost ratios .
- Differentiated monitoring between dry, frozen and positive/negative cold stock
- View by workshop or production area, useful for central kitchens
Method 3: making physical data recovery more reliable
Integrating inventories by physical and reference via API or standardized exports brings:
- A direct feed to the accounting system, without manual reprocessing
- A better anticipation of supply chain requirements
- A reduction in discrepancies at period-end .
Method 4: integrating finished products into tracking
The finished products (sandwiches, ready-made meals, desserts) are essential for linking production and consumption:
- They enable calculation of material cost per portion dispensed .
- They highlight yield differences between sites .
- They offer a consolidated view of production losses at guest level .
Comparative table of variance tracking methods
| Method | Precision | Correction time | Impact on waste | Accounting reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper monthly inventory | Low | Tardy | Not measurable | Low (reprocessing required) |
| Excel weekly inventory | Average | One-week delay | Partial reduction | Average |
| Daily digital inventory (Adoria) | High | Immediate correction | Measurable reduction (-20 to -25%) | Enhanced reliability via API |
FAQ "Which methods for controlling production/consumption discrepancies?"
How to objectify a gap between production and consumption?
A discrepancy is measured by reconciling physical inventory and theoretical consumption derived from technical data sheets. Export or the automated API makes this reconciliation reliable.
Why give priority to physical rather than generic inventory?
Generic inventory masks real discrepancies. Physical inventory, entered by reference, enables consumption and losses to be precisely identified.
What role does multi-zone management play in controlling material costs?
It consolidates data between storage zones, improves PMP calculation and reduces material cost variances between sites or workshops.
"The switch to a daily physical inventory and automated data retrieval reduced our variances by 20% in six months, while making the accounting close more reliable."
Camille J. - Operations Director, foodservice group
The Adoria Global Solution® offers foodservice groups the ability to reliabilize their inventories, consolidate multi-site data and reduce production/consumption discrepancies.
Thanks to API integration, multi-zone management and finished goods tracking, finance and operations departments have a consolidated view, improving both profitability and regulatory compliance.
