Our centralized kitchens are designed with innovation in mind, cooking between 10,000 to 250,000 meals within 6 hours while prioritizing efficiency and safety. Our cooking to consumption time is 4 hours or less, ensuring that the food we serve is fresh and hot. We employ over 9,000 men and women, with more than 30% of our workforce being women.
In locations where the geographical terrain does not support a centralized kitchen, we have successfully implemented a decentralized model where local women cook up to 5,000 meals daily. This model provides rural women with a sustainable source of income, helping them break the cycle of poverty. We believe that by empowering women and providing them with a livelihood, we can make a positive impact on the community as a whole.
We operate our kitchens at ISO standards and have 21 kitchens that are ISO certified. We have adopted advanced technologies such as Six Sigma, Kaizen, blockchain, and IoT to ensure efficiency, safety, and quality control in our kitchens. We follow strict procurement practices based on standards adapted from the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 (FSSA) to ensure that the food we serve is safe and of the highest quality.
Local, Fresh Vegetables Are Procured On A Daily Basis. We Follow FIFO And FEFO Methods When Issuing Raw Materials For Production In Order To Identify, Store And Retrieve In A Manner That Reduces Waste.
75 Quality Checks Before, During, And After The Cooking Process To Ensure Hygiene, Service Quality, And Taste. Food Is At An Optimum 65 Degrees Celsius When It Is Served To The Children. There Is A Direct Correlation Between The Temperature Of The Meal And Consumption – The Hotter The Meal, The Higher The Consumption.
Cuisine Is Catered To The Local Palate, Making It More Appealing To Children. For Example, North Indian Cuisine Is Roti-Based And South Indian Cuisine Is Rice-Based. Menus Are Rotated Every 30 Days.
We Follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) And Are Subject To Monthly Inspections. Kitchens Employ Gravity Flow Mechanisms And Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Are Processed Via High-Speed, Mechanized Cutters On Conveyor Belts, To Minimize The Need For Human Handling.
We Use Stainless Steel 304 Grade Vessels That Are Steam-Sterilized To Pack The Food Prior To Being Transported. Vehicles Use A Puffed Body To Reduce Temperature Loss And A Honeycomb Structure To Hold Vessels Upright, To Retain Freshness.
Route Optimized GPS-Equipped Vehicles Are Heat And Dust Insulated, Ensuring Food Is Hot And Fresh For On-Time Delivery. Each Vehicle Successfully Delivers Over 150,000 Meals In 6 Hours, Daily.
We Receive Feedback From Schools On A Daily Basis. Quality Officers Review Feedback And Initiate Appropriate Improvement Actions.
Are you curious to see firsthand how Akshaya Patra’s mega-kitchens can cook thousands of meals within hours? If so, you’re invited to schedule a visit to one of our kitchens while schools are in session. This is a unique opportunity to see our operations and learn more about our mission to combat hunger and improve education for children in India.
To schedule a visit, please contact us at kitchens@apusa.org
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