González Morales, Magaly

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Finding the best cost-efficient food assortment for a non-for-profit firm
(2011) González Morales, Magaly; Rodríguez Álamo, Betzabé; College of Engineering; Bartolomei Suárez, Sonia M.; Méndez Piñero, Mayra I.; Department of Industrial Engineering; Orellana Feliciano, Lynette E.
Consider a non-profit firm that provides food to consumers (e.g. schools cafeterias) where operational costs are highly affected by the assortment to offer. The food items offered in the assortment belong to one or more categories and must comply or exceed with daily nutritional standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); which are measured by the quantity per serving per food category. Furthermore, the demand of such assortment is uncertain and influenced by the presence of other items within the assortment. In order to find the most cost-efficient assortment for these firms, we developed a mathematical formulation to minimize operational costs while the assortment composition is satisfied. Also, the model allows for some sources of revenue. To verify the model and describe the structure of an optimal assortment, we used a numerical study inspired in the Puerto Rico School Meal Program (PRSMP) who offers services to public and private schools in Puerto Rico.