Evaluating food manufacturers involves determining best choices regarding a company's pedigree, their quality assurance, width and breadth of product lines, experience in foodservice industry, child nutrition and their ability to custom manufacture foods for foodservice with nationwide distribution.

Look at these attributes of any worthy food manufacturer and you will see of what they are made, and determine their asset ability in your operation's bottom line.

In this day of mergers and acquisitions, first evaluate the history of the current company. How has its growth been accomplished? Have they won awards for their product efforts and are they leading industry segments, instead of following competitors' examples and picking up crumbs? Are they well-rounded, with diverse product lines and cuisines? A food manufacturer worth its salt has the ability to build good foods from around the world.

Quality people, quality ingredients and quality practices are the basis of a fine food manufacturer. Make no mistakes in judgment here, consistent quality is hard to achieve and not every manufacturer succeeds as well as others. Every step of every process requires strict adherence to quality standards, from the freshest meats and vegetables to authentic seasonings and spices. An established Quality Assurance Program must be in place and taking part of daily operations.

Traditional ethnic foods are made a certain way. There are few shortcuts that don't impinge on the quality of the food item or dish. Find a food manufacturer that can prove its ability to make the best traditional ethnic foods while keeping an eye on trends that evolve around these foods. Italian, Asian, Mexican, and American Chili and BBQ are the most popular cuisines in the US. Add traditional and innovative appetizers to a company's repertoire and there is depth. A heritage of food manufacturing history, coupled with custom packaging, multiple plant locations and a national network of brokers establishes the mettle of a food manufacturer worth looking to for your food production needs.

Choose a food manufacturer with extensive foodservice experience. The company must fully understand what foodservice operators need—great tasting foods that enhance their reputations, foods that are easy to prepare and serve, and foods that save them time and money. Foodservice Operators need to evaluate food manufacturers that can be a resource for ideas that can expand their foodservice menu and increase their profitability.

Eating right is a habit that begins at an early age. When evaluating a food manufacturer choose one with numerous foodservice products especially formulated for child nutrition (CN) compliance. Choose one that participates in the national Child Nutrition Labeling Program and specifically labels products across their lines that are deemed suitable for school districts and institutions that serve children.

A food manufacturer must be capable of manufacturing foods according to specifications of a foodservice operator's needs. Recipes can be modified to make food items unique to regional tastes and to individual groups of restaurants. And, a research team of professionals on staff is a plus when keeping up with trends in the industry, or when making trends of your own. Custom food manufacture and R&D are absolute strengths when evaluating food manufacturers.

Windsor Foods is a company with a sound pedigree dating back to their beginnings as a division of Keebler Foods. Their quality assurance program is without a doubt, the most stringent in the industry. Windsor Foods manufactures authentic, traditional Mexican, Pan-Asian, and Italian cuisines, and is renown for their Chili and BBQ brands. With Fred's for Starters, Windsor Foods creates the most innovative appetizers in the industry today.

Foodservice is the focus of the company's experience and they emphatically participate in the national Child Nutrition program of the USDA. And, their ability to custom-manufacture foods for foodservice with nationwide distribution is accomplished with 8 different plants and 25 production lines throughout the US.

Contact Windsor Foods today for more information about exceeding your expectations when evaluating food manufacturers. Get product samples and find a broker in your area for a demonstration of their fine foods.

Windsor Foods is dedicated to making your operation a success.