In this article
When each Unit keeps its own recipe spreadsheet, preparations with the same name can have different ingredients, yields and costs without management knowing. Trying to fix this by banning every adaptation also creates problems, because equipment, suppliers, capacity and measured yield can vary between Units.
Keep a corporate recipe sheet as the reference and create a specific version only when there is an operational difference. Record the scope, validity period, responsible person and history so that each Unit's adaptations are preserved.
Corporate recipe sheet and local version
Direct answer
Keep one corporate recipe sheet per preparation and create a specific version only when a Unit needs a different composition, yield or method. Every version must have a validity period, a responsible person and a reason.
The corporate recipe sheet holds the Organization's standard. It reduces independent copies and makes it easier to review ingredients, portions, method and theoretical cost. The local version inherits the identity of the preparation but states in which Unit and during which period it applies.
This model is a management practice, not a digital architecture imposed by law. The CFN (Brazil's Federal Council of Nutrition) defines the recipe sheet and the information it may contain, while FNDE materials (FNDE is Brazil's national education development fund) show how it is used in planning and standardization. How you version should fit the reality and the responsibilities of the Organization.
Fields that make a recipe sheet usable
With the recipe sheet, anyone should be able to make the preparation and calculate what it uses. A name and a list of ingredients are not enough. Units, weights, yield, portions and method must be consistent with each other.
In an operation with several Units, scope and validity fields are just as important. Without them, nobody knows which version was in force when a menu was approved or when a theoretical cost was calculated.
- Preparation name and code
- Version, status and validity period
- Ingredients, units, gross and net weights
- Correction factor when applicable
- Yield, portions and per capita amount
- Method and relevant equipment
- Theoretical cost and the date of the costs used
- People responsible for drafting, review and approval
- Corporate scope or specific Unit
- Reason for the local adaptation
When a local version makes sense
An adaptation should respond to a real difference. An oven, the capacity of a pan, an ingredient specification, an observed yield or a contract rule may call for an adjustment. A personal preference or a correction that has not yet been validated should not create another official recipe sheet.
Before adapting, check whether the difference can be handled in another record. A different price per Unit does not necessarily require a different composition. A supplier package may belong to the purchasing record while the recipe sheet keeps working in the base unit.
Swipe the table to see all the columns.
| Situation | Possible treatment | Validation question |
|---|---|---|
| Different yield by equipment | Local version | Was the difference measured and approved? |
| Different purchase price | Cost per Unit | Did the composition really change? |
| Ingredient substituted under a contract | Local version | Does the substitution have a defined validity period? |
| Correction to the common method | New corporate version | Does the change apply to all Units? |
| Supplier package | Purchasing record | Is the recipe's base unit still the same? |
How to version without rewriting the past
Changing the current recipe sheet in the same record can silently change how an old menu reads. To avoid this, an approved version must stay frozen for the documents that already used it. The next change gets a new identifier and a new validity period.
The version should record what changed, who drafted it, who reviewed it and when it took effect. A preparation does not have to change name with each revision. The history shows the sequence, and the system works out which version applies for the date and Unit being queried.
- Copy the current version into a draft version.
- Record the change and the reason.
- Validate yield, portions, ingredients and costs.
- Submit the review according to the responsibility defined.
- Approve with a start date for the validity period.
- Keep old menus linked to the version used at the time.
Responsibilities and governance
Define who can create, review, approve and deactivate versions. The person who carries out a preparation can contribute yield and notes, while approval may require another role depending on the company's structure and the professional practice rules that apply.
Software does not replace technical responsibility. It helps organize information, access and history. CFN Resolution No. 600/2018 remains a published reference for the duties of a UAN (the Brazilian term for a food and nutrition unit that produces collective meals), and the CFN itself reported in 2026 that its revision was under way.
How to start without duplicating the current problem
Before importing, group equivalent preparations and identify the real discrepancies. Choosing one spreadsheet as the source without comparing the others only turns one copy into the official standard. The clean-up must settle names, units, yield and responsible people.
A gradual rollout can start with the most used preparations, validate the standard with a few Units and only then expand. During the transition, the team needs to know which source is authorized for new menus and when the old spreadsheets stop receiving changes.
- List the recipe sheets and the responsible people in each Unit.
- Group preparations with the same purpose and compare their fields.
- Choose a corporate version or create a validated one.
- Record justified local adaptations.
- Define the validity period and test on real menus.
- Block new parallel copies after validation.
How MEPO handles this topic
In MEPO, the Organization can keep a corporate version of the recipe sheet and a specific version for a given Unit, with a validity period. When the sheet is looked up, the local version takes precedence for that Unit and the corporate version works as the standard. Earlier versions remain available for the history.
References
The sources support the general concepts. Specific rules can vary by contract, technical lead and local regulations.
- [1]Resolução CFN nº 600/2018. Conselho Federal de Nutrição.
- [2]Revisão da Resolução CFN nº 600/2018 (revision of CFN Resolution No. 600/2018). Conselho Federal de Nutrição.
- [3]Manual da ferramenta Plan PNAE (manual for the Plan PNAE tool, from Brazil's national school meals programme). FNDE.
- [4]Ficha Técnica de Preparação: instrumento de qualidade (recipe sheet: a quality instrument). SciELO.
- [5]Cartilha sobre Boas Práticas para Serviços de Alimentação (booklet on good practices for food services). Anvisa.