I am going to design vegetarian sandwich fillers, which are more interesting than the sandwich fillers already on the market.
Helen Williams 11Y
Centre 20017 Vegetarian sandwich fillers
Candidate 9343
Contents
Taste Test
Hot and Spicy Quorn – Analysis
Log of work undertaken
Introduction
Project Outline
I am going to design vegetarian sandwich fillers, which are more interesting than the sandwich fillers already on the market.
Design Task
My target group for this project is going to be Lacto-Ovo-vegetarians of any age. Therefore, I am not going to use meat, fish or animal products such as cheese with animal rennet to curdle the milk. I would make this product to be distributed to large chain stores, such as, Sainsburys, Safeway or Asda.
Focus of Study
I chose this area because the existing products on the market are often bland and uninteresting. I chose to design a product for Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians because it is the most common type of vegetarianism. The main factors I will be considering while completing this project is:
- No meat
- No fish
- Any cheese must be vegetarian, i.e. the milk must not have been curdled with animal rennet (an enzyme taken from the stomach of a calf).
Task AnalysisTask Analysis 2
I am going to conduct a questionnaire to find out what people want in a vegetarian sandwich filler, then I will analyse the answers to I can develop a product. I want to find out how much they would pay, what ingredients they would like in it and what type of vegetarian they are.
I am going to carry out a supermarket survey to find out what products are already on the market, how many sandwiches they can serve, the price, ingredients, who makes them and any extra claims e.g. low in fat.
I am going to write letters to companies to get information about existing and new sandwich fillers; I am going to write to some supermarkets to find out what vegetarian products they sell.
I am going to research how many people are vegetarians and how many new vegetarians there are each year. I can get this information from the vegetarian society.
Vegetarianism – background information
A vegetarian is someone who does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish or crustaceans such as lobster. They do not eat any slaughterhouse by products such as gelatine. People turn vegetarian for many reasons. They might not like the taste of meat; they might be concerned about using modern methods in farming, like feeding hormones to the animals to make them grow faster. They may not want the animals to die when it is unnecessary.
There are lots of different types of vegetarian:
- Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products
- Lacto-Vegetarians who eat dairy products, but no eggs
- Ovo-Vegetarians who eat eggs but no dairy products
- Vegans who eat plants, no dairy products, eggs, or animal products
- Fruitarians who have a diet with mainly raw and dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil.
- Macrobiotic who have a diet progressing through ten levels gradually eliminating animal products, to gain physical and spiritual well being by balancing yin and yang the positive and negative aspects of life.
We are told when food is suitable ...
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There are lots of different types of vegetarian:
- Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products
- Lacto-Vegetarians who eat dairy products, but no eggs
- Ovo-Vegetarians who eat eggs but no dairy products
- Vegans who eat plants, no dairy products, eggs, or animal products
- Fruitarians who have a diet with mainly raw and dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil.
- Macrobiotic who have a diet progressing through ten levels gradually eliminating animal products, to gain physical and spiritual well being by balancing yin and yang the positive and negative aspects of life.
We are told when food is suitable for vegetarians, because they have approved by the vegetarian society and marked with the symbol:
In a survey for realeat in 1999, 4157 adults were questioned, 5% were vegetarian, 3.2% were male vegetarians and 6.7% were female vegetarians.
Source: The Vegetarian Society pamphlet
Research on Quorn
History and background
Quorn is a healthy meat substitute; it is also low in fat. It is prepared from a carefully selected variety of mushroom called Fusarium Graminearum. These mushrooms are processed into a product called Quorn, and it is also known as mycoprotein. Fusarium Graminearum was selected because it is safe, had good nutritional profile and can be processed into products with meat like textures.
Production of Quorn products
Fusarium Graminearum is grown under strictly controlled conditions including control of:
- Temperature
- PH
- Nutrient concentrations
- Dissolved oxygen tensions
These factors are all maintained for opium growth. The Fusarium Graminearum grows quickly under these conditions. It produces a mycoprotein paste which is mixed with egg whites and vegetable flavours which produces a dough which is then processed into shapes. The product is then frozen as part of texturisation process and is stored for selling or further use.
Nutrition
Quorn is
- a good source of protein,
- low in calories,
- it has no animal fat,
- Has a high amount of dietary fibre.
Quorn is suitable for many types of diets:
- Low fat
- Low cholesterol
- Diabetic
- Coeliac
- Halal
- Kosher
Product range
The first Quorn products were launched in 1985, and now it is on sale in five European countries.
Marketing and sales
Since the national launch of Quorn, sales have been increasing at a high rate. This is due to increased public awareness, the number of Quorn products available and increased healthy eating trends.
Nutritional information about Quorn
Supermarket SurveyLetter to companies
This is a copy of the letter I sent to Sainsbury, Safeway, Heinz, Vegetarian Society, Asda, Quorn Education Service, Van Den Berg foods and the Vegan Society.
List of what each company sent
Generation of ideas
Questionnaire
I have designed this questionnaire to find out what you, as a vegetarian, think about the range of vegetarian sandwich fillers available.
Age: 0-17
18-28
29-39
40-50
51-61
62+
Are you: Male
Female
What type of vegetarian are you?
Vegan
Lacto Vegetarian
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian
Semi-Vegetarian
Fruitarian
Macrobiotic
How often do you buy chilled sandwich fillers?
Everyday
Once a week
2-4 times a week
Once a month
Never
How much would you be willing to pay for a sandwich filler?
Under 99p
£1.00 - £1.49
£1.50 - £1.99
£2.00 - £2.49
£2.50 - £3.00
What ingredients would you like to see in a sandwich filler?
Mayonnaise
Sweetcorn
Green peppers
Red peppers
Yellow peppers
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Celery
Pineapple
Carrot
Egg
Nuts
Mushrooms
Chick Peas
Peas
Carrots
Onions
Sprouts
Radish
Beetroot
Runner Beans
Broad Beans
Red Kidney Beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Baby Corn
Potato
Cabbage
Red Cabbage
Red Onion
Lettuce
Cheese
Spices
Quorn
Soya
Tofu
Other (please specify) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Thank you for completing this questionnaire
Analysing questionnaire results
I asked five vegetarians in my questionnaire.
Two of the people I asked were male, three are female.
Initial Specification
When I analysed my research I noticed:
- Most people I asked are Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians. I am going to make this my target group.
- The price should be under £1.50
- I am not going to have a target age group because my questionnaires were filled in by people of all age.
- It should be healthy and nutritious.
My products need to be stored in the fridge because all of the questionnaires showed people prefer mayonnaise in their sandwich fillers. The size of the product should be small because it is a lunchbox product, so it should be suitable for one persons sandwich on one day. It shouldn’t be too small, but should not be too big so it can’t be finished.
I could use Quorn in some because it is a meat substitute for vegetarians so is a good source of protein, and in others I could use only fruit and vegetables.
If I found a substitute for mayonnaise, my products will be suitable for vegans or Lacto Vegetarians. Some of my products could be adapted for Fruitarians and Macrobiotics.
- My products should have a variety of different ingredients, because people buying products are going to look at how interesting the product looks.
- My products should also be suitable for vegetarians of all ages, for example, nuts should not be included in the sandwich fillers because they are not suitable for young children.
Health and safety
Food that is safe to eat involves food hygiene. Premises, staff and equipment have to be clean. Food must be handled safely and prepared in clean surroundings. Everybody involved in food production should have training about safety and illness. Bad food hygiene can lead to outbreaks of food poisoning. The groups that are particularly vulnerable are: the elderly, very young children and people who are already ill.
Potential for cross contamination in commercial food preparation.
The people in the factories that deal with the food have to wear special clothes. They have to wear:
- A hat that completely covers their hair
- A white coat
- White gloves
- White trousers
- White boots or shoes
- Beard/ Hair nets
They have to put these clothes on before they enter the food areas. They are not allowed to wear any jewellery except for a wedding ring. They have to wash their hands in a separate sink. If they have an accident, a blue plaster must be worn and the accident must also be recorded.
Food processing plant factory rules
We manufacture human foods that meet strict standards, and therefore remind you of the company rules:
- Persons with upset stomachs are not allowed on site
- Eating and drinking permitted in the canteen only
- Smoking and chewing gum is not permitted on site
- Hats, hairnets and protective overalls to be worn at all times in production areas
- Jewellery not allowed, except metal band wedding rings
- No cigarettes, matches, keys, confectionery, tablets or coins to be taken into production areas
- No glass of any kind can be brought into the factory
- Substances must comply with C.O.S.H.H regulations.
- No perfumes, solvents or strong smelling substances (unless agreed in advance in writing) may be used.
Thank You
Issued October 1999
Quality Manager
Trial Practical 1
Tropical Sandwich Filler
Recipe
Ingredients Amount
Quorn pieces 3oz/ 75 grams
Tinned pineapple 3 rings
Nectarine 1
Cheese 1 ½ oz/ 40 grams
Mayonnaise
Method HACCP
1. Prepare self Tie hair back, put apron on, and wash hands
2. Prepare work surfaces Remove clutter, wipe surfaces
3. Prepare ingredients Wash fruit, chop ingredients finely, use correct chopping board for fruit/vegetables (yellow).
4. Cook Quorn Use wooden spoon to stir because it will not let heat pass through it, leave it to cool before putting it in with other ingredients.
5. Put mayonnaise over Quorn, pineapple, nectarine, Cover all ingredients well with mayonnaise.
and cheese.
Annotated diagram
Tropical Sandwich Filler – Packaging
If I was marketing my product, I would have to design suitable packaging.
I chose to have a transparent pot as part of my packaging, because customers would want to see what they are buying, they will want to see the product itself, not just a picture of the product. I also have a foil lid as part of the packaging because it will keep the product fresh until it is opened, giving it a longer ‘use by’ date. I have also chosen to have a plastic lid as part of the packaging because it will protect the silver foil lid.
On the label I will need to put many details so that is complies with all Food labelling and Trading Standards laws.. My label will look like this:
Taste test
Graph to show the opinions of testers
Tropical Sandwich filler- Analysis of results
I gave my sandwich filler to four testers to get results which are more accurate than if I gave it to one person. They plotted what they thought on a star chart and I gave them several factors to analyse.
My testers said that it was very fruity, colourful, healthy and appetising, but needed to be crunchier, and could have been more savoury.
I think I did well on this task, as I followed the flowchart as I planned, and I considered health and safety during the practical. I think my trial practical was very organised; I had all the equipment and ingredients I needed, including a detailed flowchart for the production of my product.
If I could have done this practical again, I would have put less pineapple in, and would have drained it better, because there was too much pineapple juice in the sandwich filler, which meant the bread went slightly soggy. To make it more savoury, I would have put less pineapple and nectarines in it, and more Quorn and cheese.
Trial Practical 2
Hot and Spicy Sandwich Filler
Recipe
Ingredients Amount
Quorn pieces 100 grams/ 4 oz
Green Pepper 1
Red Pepper 1
Spice
Mayonnaise
Method HAACP
1. Prepare self Tie hair back, put apron on, and wash hands
2. Prepare work surfaces Remove clutter, wipe surfaces
3. Prepare ingredients Wash Vegetables; chop finely on the correct board for fruit/vegetables (yellow).
4. Cook Quorn Use wooden spoon because it will not let heat pass through it, leave to cool before adding other ingredients
5. Put mayonnaise over all ingredients Cover well
6. Tidy up
Wash up, dry up, put away equipment, wipe work surfaces.
Annotated Diagram
Hot and Spicy Sandwich Filler – packaging
If I was marketing my product I would need to design suitable packaging for it.
I chose to have a transparent pot as part of my packaging, because customers would want to see what they are buying, they will want to see the product itself, not just a picture of the product. I also have a foil lid as part of the packaging because it will keep the product fresh until it is opened, giving it a longer ‘use by’ date. I have also chosen to have a plastic lid as part of the packaging because it will protect the silver foil lid.
On the label I will need to have certain details so that it complies with all rules and regulations for trading standards.
Taste Test
I gave my sandwich filler to four testers. These are the results given to me:
Hot and Spicy Quorn – Analysis
I gave my sandwich filler to four testers; this will make the results more accurate than if I just gave it to one person. I will have a range of results to use.
I think I did well on this task, as I followed the flowchart as I planned, and I considered health and safety at all times during the practical. . I think my trial practical was very organised; I had all the equipment and ingredients I needed, including a detailed flowchart for the production of my product.
My testers said that the product was very appetising, colourful, and crunchy and it was well presented, and had a very appetising appearance. Although they said it was not as healthy as it could have been because it had too much mayonnaise on it. Next time I use mayonnaise; I will use low fat mayonnaise and will use less of it. They also said there was not enough spice in it, and was not hot and spicy. I was also told the texture was very interesting as there was a range of different textures.
I think I planned well, although I did not plan my time well enough because it took longer than I expected for the Quorn to cool.
Trial Practical 3
Italian Style Sandwich Filler
Recipe
Ingredient Amount
Quorn 4 oz / 100 grams
Green Pepper 1
Tomatoes 2
Mayonnaise
Basil
Method HACCP
1. Prepare self Tie hair back, put apron on, and wash hands
2. Prepare work surfaces Remove clutter, wipe surfaces
3. Prepare ingredients Wash Vegetables; chop finely on the correct board for fruit/vegetables (yellow).
4. Cook Quorn Use wooden spoon because it will not let heat pass through it, leave to cool before adding other ingredients
5. Put mayonnaise over all ingredients Cover well
6. Tidy up Wash up, dry up, put away equipment, and wipe work surfaces.
Annotated Diagram
Italian Style Sandwich Filler – Packaging
If I was putting my sandwich filler on the market, I would have to design suitable packaging for the product.
I chose to have a transparent pot as part of my packaging, because customers would want to see what they are buying, they will want to see the product itself, not just a picture of the product. I also have a foil lid as part of the packaging because it will keep the product fresh until it is opened, giving it a longer ‘use by’ date. I have also chosen to have a plastic lid as part of the packaging because it will protect the silver foil lid.
Taste Test
This is results given to me by the testers.
Italian Style sandwich filler – Analysis
I gave my sandwich filler to four testers; this will make the results more accurate than if I just gave it to one person. I will have a range of results to use.
I think I did well on this task, as I followed the flowchart as I planned, and I considered health and safety at all times during the practical. . I think my trial practical was very organised; I had all the equipment and ingredients I needed, including a detailed flowchart for the production of my product.
My testers said that the product was very appetising, colourful, and crunchy and it was well presented, and had a very appetising appearance. I was also told the texture was very interesting as there was a range of different textures.
I planned my time better for this practical because I left the Quorn sufficient time to cool down before adding all the other ingredients and the mayonnaise.
I improved my practical this time by using low-fat mayonnaise because in the previous practical, the testers said it was not healthy because it had too much mayonnaise in it, so I used less, and I used low-fat mayonnaise.
Development Practical 1
Vegetarian Fajitas
I have chosen to develop my hot and spicy Quorn practical, because it was the most popular with my testers. To make it more interesting I am not going to put it in bread but I am going to use flour tortillas. I am going to put more spice in it, because I said that if I was to do the hot and spicy Quorn practical again, I would use more spice because the testers said it could not be tasted.
Original Recipe
Quorn,
Green Pepper,
Red Pepper,
Mayonnaise,
Spice,
Adapted Recipe
Ingredient Amount
Flour tortillas
Quorn 2 large cups
Spring Onions 2
Medium red pepper 1
Tomatoes 2
Cucumber ½
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Hoi Sin sauce
Salsa
Ginger
Method HACCP
1. Prepare self Tie hair back, put apron on, and wash hands
2. Prepare work surfaces Remove clutter, wipe surfaces
3. Fry Quorn, spring onions, and red pepper Use plastic or wooden spoon to stir because metal will let heat pass through it.
4. Dice tomato and cucumber Dice finely and carefully
5. Shred lettuce and wash Dice finely and carefully
6. Poor 2 tablespoons of Hoi Sin in to pan and leave for a 3 minutes Pour carefully to avoid it spitting
7. Put salsa along the middle of the tortilla
8. Put other ingredients into the tortilla and roll up, then wrap up carefully
9. Tidy up Wash up, dry up, put away equipment, and wipe work surfaces.
I am developing my practical from hot and spicy Quorn to a Mexican style hot and spicy product. I am not using mayonnaise, but I am using salsa to hold all the other ingredients together. I also adapted the original recipe which I downloaded from from using mushrooms to using Quorn because in my questionnaires, most of the people I asked would prefer not to have mushrooms in the product, but do like Quorn.
Annotated Diagram
Vegetarian Fajitas – Packaging
I chose this packaging because the foil tray will stop the product from being squashed, and the plastic lid will keep the product fresh until it is opened, giving it a longer ‘use by’ date.
Taste Test
Picture of Vegetarian Fajitas
Vegetarian Fajitas – Analysis
I gave my sandwich filler to four testers; this will make the results more accurate than if I just gave it to one person. I will have a range of results to use.
I think I did well on this task, as I followed the flowchart as I planned, and I considered health and safety at all times during the practical. . I think my trial practical was very organised; I had all the equipment and ingredients I needed, including a detailed flowchart for the production of my product.
My testers said that the product was very appetising, colourful, and crunchy and it was well presented, and had a very appetising appearance. I was also told the texture was very interesting as there was a range of different textures.
I planned my time better for this practical because I left the Quorn sufficient time to cool down before adding the other ingredients.
I developed this practical since last time because I improved this by using hot salsa, instead of not using enough chilli powder because it could not be tasted by my testers.
Bibliography
I used many sources to complete my project:
Leaflets
- Project Book – Published by The Vegetarian Society
- Its hunting season on vegetables – Published by The Vegetarian Society
- Food For Life – Published by The Quorn Education Society
Websites
Books
- The Vegetarian Cookbook
