JAMIX Kitchen Intelligence System has been in use in the municipalities of Muhos, Vaala, and Utajärvi since the beginning of the 21st century. These municipalities located in the northern Finland used a shared system with several other municipalities for a long time. Since August 2023 they moved to their own shared system among the three municipalities.
The commissary kitchens of the municipalities prepare meals for schools and kindergartens, producing approximately 2,300 meals daily in Muhos, 320 in Vaala, and 500 in Utajärvi.
The JAMIX system is utilized especially for recipe management and food waste control. In Muhos they will start using the system also for managing meal orders from kindergartens and schools to the commissary kitchen.
Recipe Management and Related Calculations Play a Central Role
The JAMIX system is used to standardize recipes and simplify the process of creating and managing recipes. They also monitor nutritional values of recipes with the system, to ensure they meet dietary recommendations, especially regarding salt and fats. “The system is extremely good for that purpose”, says Tiina Karppinen, responsible for food services in Vaala municipality.
The system helps in managing the big picture, as well. This is especially crucial for Mari Karilainen, responsible for meal services in all three municipalities. Mari also highlights the easy access to price information within the program.
Tiina has been using the JAMIX system in Vaala food services for nearly a decade. Currently she is the admin user for all three municipalities. The system is used for producing food services in the kitchens of all the municipalities. In Utajärvi, chefs also use the system in addition to supervisors.
Tiina appreciates the centralized product management enabled by the software: “When we have our contract products in the system, we can all use the same ingredients. Price tracking is an important feature for understanding the cost of each meal”, says Tiina.
Food Waste Is Easy to Manage with a Software System
Easy food waste management is another benefit of JAMIX Kitchen Intelligence System. “When you notice that there is leftover food, you can make a smaller recipe for the next time. It is so quick to edit recipes in the system. You don’t need to start drawing on a piece of paper, and wondering how much you should decrease the amount of potatoes, as the software calculates it automatically”, Tiina explains.
The municipalities are in the process of implementing SmartKitchen food waste scales for even more precise waste tracking. SmartKitchen Food Waste Tracker can be integrated with JAMIX System, which will streamline the tracking and managing of food waste even more.
Kindergartens Will Start Making Their Meal Orders with the System
Starting this spring, Muhos will use the JAMIX System to manage kindergartens’ meal orders, a task currently handled on paper. “For sure it will be easier to get an understanding of the order quantities and food consumption with the system, when you usually have a site specific view”, says Mari and continues: “It will be easier to manage the whole. We will pilot this with one kindergarten first.”
The Deployment of the System Was Smooth
Despite being familiar with the JAMIX system, the transition to a shared system involved a deployment project. “We surely got advice for all things included in the start. Jamix has contacted us a lot and we have scheduled regular meetings. It helps us in the background and you don’t have to be alone with the system”, says Mari and Tiina continues: “This has really been smooth. We always get advice when we ask something, and the replies come quickly. Also, the data transfer went well, and no information was missing after that.”
A Software System Is an Important Tool for Food Services
“You continuously need to have more and more information for reporting, and it has to be as accurate as possible. So there are more of different types of things”, reflects Mari the role of software systems. “This is a important system, which makes your everyday work much more easier”, says Tiina.
Tiina advises new JAMIX users to gradually familiarize themselves with different features. “You don’t need to be startled by all the versatile features there are in the system. Training is available when you ask for it. And there is nothing you can do there that could not be fixed. You don’t have to be afraid that you could do something irreversible in the system.”
Both Tiina and Mari speak highly of their collaboration with JAMIX. “It’s so smooth. Even when you send an email for support, it doesn’t take long before you get a response,” Tiina says and Mari adds, “Everything really works very well.”
