Emergency Menu Development, Potential for Multiple Menus

It is important to consider nutritional needs of customers in developing an emergency menu, as discussed previously. It is also important to consider what resources may or may not be available.

For example, if both electrical and gas equipment are available, a menu could be written using only gas equipment and one using only electrical equipment. It would also be necessary to have a menu if neither gas nor electrical equipment was available. Another option, of course, is to write and use just the third menu!

It may be that equipment is available, but water is not. This may not require a separate menu, but instead policies and procedures on how to either make the water safe or how to use bottled water.

Another consideration is lack of staff. In this case, food could be cooked, but the menu would need to be simplified for either convenience items or items that require little preparation.

The length of emergency menus is another consideration. A three day menu may be sufficient for most emergencies. For longer emergencies, seven days may be necessary.

There is no right or wrong to emergency menus. It just depends upon what the facility needs in any particular situation.