1 Purpose
This document sets category-specific preparation, presentation, service, and carryover controls for Heated Foods, Prepared Meals, and Complete Dishes within the controlled Good Taste Awards standards system.
2 Scope
This document applies to the requirements, decisions, records, controls, and outputs expressly identified under Heated Foods, Prepared Meals, and Complete Dishes. Award scope and exclusions are controlled by GTA-STD-100; this document shall not create an additional award dimension. Operational prerequisites identified here affect assessment validity and never constitute product certification.
3 Authority and interpretation
The Assessment Operations Lead owns GTA-MOD-317; the Standards Authority approves it. Normative verbs, controlled terms, stable requirement identities, policy constants, and generated representations shall be interpreted under GTA-GOV-002, GTA-GOV-005, and the controlled registers.
3.1 Registered relationships
| Relationship | Direction | Related document |
|---|---|---|
implements | outbound | GTA-SCH-303 |
governed_by | outbound | GTA-GOV-001 |
drafted_under | outbound | GTA-GOV-002 |
4 Requirements
GTA-MOD-317-R001 — Subcategory assignment
The Assessment Operations Lead shall cover prepared meals, soups, dishes, filled products, meal components, and products requiring controlled heating.
GTA-MOD-317-R002 — Heating method
The Assessment Operations Lead shall control equipment, power, batch, sequence, and endpoint.
GTA-MOD-317-R003 — Component proportion
The Assessment Operations Lead shall preserve representative ratios in multi-component dishes.
GTA-MOD-317-R004 — Stirring and resting
The Assessment Operations Lead shall control homogeneity, temperature equalization, and texture.
GTA-MOD-317-R005 — Batch linkage
The Assessment Operations Lead shall associate each response with the served preparation batch.
GTA-MOD-317-R006 — Service temperature
The Assessment Operations Lead shall control target range, portioning, and maximum holding.
GTA-MOD-317-R007 — Garnish and accompaniment
The Assessment Operations Lead shall exclude uncontrolled additions and use only specified integral components.
GTA-MOD-317-R008 — Carryover
The Assessment Operations Lead shall manage savoury intensity, fat, heat, spice, and aroma persistence.
5 Category applicability and selection
| Parameter | Controlled value or selection rule |
|---|---|
| Included subcategories | prepared_meal, soup, dish, filled_product, meal_component, heated_product |
| Representative state | freshly_heated_or_cooked_declared_serving_state |
| Portion basis | representative_component_ratio_from_one_identified_preparation_batch |
| Mandatory measurements | input_quantity, equipment_setting, endpoint, rest, service_condition, holding_limit, component_ratio |
| Carrier rule | garnish_accompaniment_or_condiment_only_when_integral_and_controlled |
| Order class | assign_from_heat_fat_spice_savoury_intensity_aroma_and_coating |
| Inability conditions | endpoint_failure, component_ratio_failure, holding_excess, batch_misidentification, uncontrolled_addition |
6 Category control matrix
| Control ID | Variable | Required control | Source of setting | Evidence | Out-of-control action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GTA-MOD-317-C01 | Subcategory assignment | Cover prepared meals, soups, dishes, filled products, meal components, and products requiring controlled heating. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C02 | Heating method | Control equipment, power, batch, sequence, and endpoint. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C03 | Component proportion | Preserve representative ratios in multi-component dishes. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C04 | Stirring and resting | Control homogeneity, temperature equalization, and texture. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C05 | Batch linkage | Associate each response with the served preparation batch. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C06 | Service temperature | Control target range, portioning, and maximum holding. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C07 | Garnish and accompaniment | Exclude uncontrolled additions and use only specified integral components. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
GTA-MOD-317-C08 | Carryover | Manage savoury intensity, fat, heat, spice, and aroma persistence. | approved product instruction or module default | preparation/service record | stop, correct, replace, or incident review |
7 Product-specific instruction precedence
A product-specific instruction may supply a measurable setting where this module intentionally requires product-specific selection. It shall be approved before blind coding, shall describe ordinary intended preparation, and shall not disclose brand identity to assessors. It shall not change the liking scale, panel composition, star thresholds, result meaning, or role authority.
The approved preparation plan shall state input quantity, equipment, sequence, endpoint, portion, vessel, service condition, holding control, order class, palate recovery, measurement method, tolerance or acceptance rule, and action for nonconformity. A missing mandatory setting shall stop preparation rather than invite operator estimation.
8 Conformity and records
Conformity with Heated Foods, Prepared Meals, and Complete Dishes requires evidence comprising the preparation plan, batch record, service event, measurement, and deviation state. The record for each applicable GTA-MOD-317 requirement shall permit reconstruction without relying on an unrecorded explanation.
Evidence created under GTA-MOD-317 shall use stable identifiers, immutable event sequence numbers, and machine event timestamps. A correction shall be append-only. A nonconformity shall place the affected object in a non-releasable state until its consequence and authorized disposition are recorded. Role combination remains subject to the mandatory separation rules.